Rod Blagojevich - The ex-Governor of Illinois

Blagojevich on the day of his arrest

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Rod Blagojevich born December 10, 1956) is a former American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009.

A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago. He was elected governor in 2002, the first Democrat to win the office since Daniel Walker's victory 30 years earlier.

In March 2012, Blagojevich began serving a 14-year sentence in federal prison following conviction for corruption including the soliciting of bribes for political appointments including the vacant U.S. Senate seat of President Barack Obama, while in public office.

Impeachment trial and removal from office

Under the direction of US District Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, Governor Blagojevich was arrested at his home by federal agents and charged with corruption. The Justice Department complaint alleged that the governor conspired to commit several "pay to play" schemes, including attempting "to obtain personal gain ... through the corrupt use" of his authority to fill Barack Obama's vacated United States Senate seat, claiming that in wiretapped recordings Blagojevich discussed his desire to get something in exchange for an appointment to the seat. After various outreach efforts, he appointed former state attorney general Roland Burrison New Year's Eve 2008. Burris was seated after some initial opposition in mid-January 2009. A trial was set for June 3, 2010 and U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald spoke out on the charges, characterizing Blagojevich's actions as trying to auction the open seat off to "the highest bidder".

On January 27, 2009, Blagojevich began a media campaign planned by publicist Glenn Selig, founder of the crisis management public relations firm The Publicity Agency. During the two-day campaign, he visited Today, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The View, multiple programs onFox News Channel, CNN and MSNBC where he proclaimed his innocence and insisted he would be vindicated.

The Illinois House and Senate moved quickly thereafter to impeach the governor for abuse of power and corruption. On January 8, the Illinois House voted 114-1 (with three abstentions) to impeach Blagojevich. The charges brought by the House emphasized Blagojevich's alleged abuses of power and his alleged attempts to sell gubernatorial appointments and legislative authorizations and/or vetoes. One of the accusations was an alleged attempt to sell the appointment to the United States Senate seat vacated by the resignation of Barack Obama. Blagojevich was frequently reported as having been taped by the FBI saying "I've got this thing, and it's fucking golden. I'm just not giving it up for fucking nothing." He was removed from office and prohibited from ever holding public office in the state of Illinois again, by two separate and unanimous votes of 59–0 by the Illinois Senate on January 29, 2009. Blagojevich's lieutenant governor Patrick Quinn subsequently became governor of Illinois. Blagojevich's impeachment trial and removal from office did not have any effect or bearing on his federal indictment in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, as impeachment is a political, not a criminal, action.

Federal trial and conviction