President Trump is still considering whether to free former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich from prison, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Tuesday.
Sanders said that Trump would not listen to criticism from Republicans appalled at Trump’s Thursday suggestion that he may grant clemency to Blagojevich before his sentence ends in 2024.
Blagojevich, a Democrat, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2011 for corruption, after he was charged with attempting to sell then-President Barack Obama’s former Senate seat. He argues he was simply being a politician.
“The president hasn’t made a final decision on that, but as you know the president doesn’t base his decisions off the criticism of others, but on what he thinks is the right decision to make,” Sanders said at the daily White House press briefing.
So far, Trump has issued one prison commutation and five pardons. But the pace is quickening, giving hope to prison inmates, but also attracting criticism over Trump’s apparent reliance on the advice of celebrities and allies.
Last week, Trump met with Kim Kardashian to discuss clemency for Alice Johnson, jailed for life since 1996 on drug-dealing charges. A week earlier, Trump bestowed a posthumous pardon on boxer Jack Johnson at the behest of “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone, saying Johnson’s early 1900s conviction was a race-motivated injustice.
Trump said he may give clemency to Blagojevich during a discussion with reporters aboard Air Force One. He also said he was considering a pardon for celebrity chef Martha Stewart, who served five months in prison for charges relating to insider trading.
