Donald Trump has used his presidential power and announced on Tuesday the clemency granted for former Illinois Gov.
Rod Blagojevich.
The disgraced governor has been serving a 14-year sentence for soliciting bribes, which includes his efforts to sell the US Senate seat that Barack Obama left when he became the president.
“Yes, we have commuted the sentence, he served eight years in jail, a long time,’ Trump said in a Q & A session at Joint Base Andrews.
By commuting his sentence, Rod Blagojevic has been freed from his prison sentence, but his conviction stays on his record.
Trump has been asked to study the possibility of commuting Blagojevic’s sentence, as it has been deemed severe.
“Seem like a nice person, don’t know him, but he served eight years in jail, it was a long time he had to go, many people disagree with the sentences. He’s a Democrat, he’s not a Republican,” Trump added.
Trump issued presidential pardons as well, which includes former New York City Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik.
Voicing his support for Kerik, Trump called him, “a man who has had many recommendations from a lot of good people.”
He served three years in prison for tax fraud and for not being truthful to the White House while being interviewed to be the next Homeland Security Secretary under George W. Bush.
The president also pardoned junk bond king Michael Milken and former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr.
Milken was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $600 million for his crimes committed while heading Drexel Burnham Lambert’s bond department.
He also co-founded the Milken Family Foundation and chairs the Milken Institute – charities which funded research on life-threatening diseases including melanoma and cancer.
DeBartolo on the other hand, pled guilty on failing to report a felony and has been fined $1 million.