Trump expected to pardon former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich

President Donald Trump is expected to pardon former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, according to a White House official.

Blagojevich, who was a Democrat while in office, had served eight years in prison on charges stemming from his effort to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat after Obama won the 2008 presidential election.

Trump commuted Blagojevich’s 14-year sentence in 2020. He is now expected to issue a full pardon.

Axios first reported on Trump’s plans to pardon Blagojevich, who was also cast as a contestant on “The Celebrity Apprentice” in 2010.

Blagojevich was convicted in his first trial of lying to an FBI agent. In his second trial, he was found guilty on all counts, after government recordings revealed his attempts to sell Obama’s seat.

Blagojevich was booted out of office by the Illinois Legislature after his 2008 arrest on a litany of corruption charges.