Durbin: I would support Blagojevich sentence reduction

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on Monday that he would support reducing the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

“I think that the sentence imposed on Rod Blagojevich was definitely way too long. Fourteen years, it didn’t make sense,” Durbin said at a Chicago press conference.

“And so I’m not commenting on whether he was culpable or guilty. That was decided by the courts, but I thought the sentence was outrageous, and if there’s a way to reduce the sentence for him and his family, I would support it,” Durbin added.

Durbin’s comments come after President Trump said last week that he is considering reducing Blagojevich’s sentence.

Trump told reporters that Blagojevich went to jail “for being stupid” and argued that his sentence was excessive.

“I’ll let President Trump make that decision, but I certainly think 14 years was entirely too long,” Durbin said.

Blagojevich was impeached and sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for, among other charges, soliciting bribes for political appointments, including for the Illinois Senate seat vacated by former President Obama in 2008.

In April, the Supreme Court said it would not hear an appeal from the former governor and his family.

Blagojevich is not set to be released from prison until May 2024 and can now only have his sentence reduced through executive clemency.