BLAGO SENTENCE COMMUTED

Illinois' leading Democrats and Republicans both called the commutation of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich "disappointing" Tuesday afternoon.

That includes congressman Mike Bost and state Sen. Paul Schimpf, who issued a statement saying he disagrees with President Donald Trump's decision to commute Blagojevich's 14-year prison term.

"I am not aware of any expression of remorse or guilt by Inmate Blagojevich," Schimpf wrote in the statement.

"Further, in light of the current ethics crisis in Illinois government involving multiple arrests and ongoing federal investigations, I believe this commutation sends the wrong message to current and potential bad actors."

In a joint statement of several Illinois Republican congressmen, including Bost, they called Blagojevich the "face of public corruption in Illinois," and added that, "not once has he shown any remorse for his clear and documented record of egregious crimes that undermined the trust placed in him by voters."

Blagojevich began serving a 14-year federal prison sentence in 2012. He was convicted on 11 criminal counts related to his effort to sell the former U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he became president.

Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton) was in agreement.

"I'm disappointed," he said. "We thought that when some of us (legislators) had talked to Bost and he relayed our message to the President ... we thought he wasn't going to do that."

Severin was still processing the move as he rushed from his Springfield office to a committee meeting.

"Illinois governors and politicians have a corruption problems that needs to be dealt with," he said. "I thought we were doing that. This wasn't a statement that needs to be made from a President."

Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) also spoke out against the move.

"I have real concerns at not enforcing the former Gov. Blagojevich's full sentence," he said. "That sends a negative message about the consequences for corruption in state government. As public officials, we're held to a higher standard."

Blagojevich was also convicted on six counts related to campaign contribution shakedowns, including one count which said he essentially tried to trade $8 million in added state funding to pediatric specialists for a $25,000 campaign donation from a hospital CEO.

In 2015, five of those counts were thrown out in appellate courts, although his 14-year sentence was reimposed months later.

Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin called the decision "disappointing" Tuesday.

"Currently we have a massive federal investigation into corruption in the state of Illinois, and this action distracts and also dilutes what I think is the proper role of the Department of Justice to root out corruption," he said in an interview.

In a statement, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has on several occasions has argued that Blagojevich should serve his full sentence, echoed that sentiment.

"Illinoisans have endured far too much corruption, and we must send a message to politicians that corrupt practices will no longer be tolerated," the statement reads.

"President Donald Trump has abused his pardon power in inexplicable ways to reward his friends and condone corruption, and I deeply believe this pardon sends the wrong message at the wrong time. I'm committed to continuing to take clear and decisive steps this spring to prevent politicians from using their offices for personal gain, and I will continue to approach this work with that firm conviction."

Durkin was involved firsthand with Blagojevich's bipartisan impeachment effort in January 2009.

"I saw a governor who was rogue on steroids," he said. "He didn't care about the state of Illinois, he cared about his own ambition and he abused the office, and the legislature did the appropriate thing, the federal courts did the right thing, not only at the district court level but also the appellate court and U.S. Supreme Court and they said his sentence was appropriate."

Durkin questioned why Blagojevich should get "special treatment" when others who are imprisoned for drug offenses receive decades in prison without relief from presidential pardons.

"It's just because of the celebrity of Rod Blagojevich," Durkin said. "I think it's wrong and it sends a bad message to people in this country that ... you don't have to pay your debt to society."

"I'm never going to be able to figure out how the president messages, nor the decision-making that he does," Durkin said. "That's something ... he needs to explain to the people of Illinois who saw a governor destroy the integrity of this office but also did some very, very terrible things to the finances of this state."

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Trump told reporters today before he departed on Air Force One, "Yes, we commuted the sentence of Rod Blagojevich. He served eight years in jail, a long time. He seems like a very nice person, don't know him."

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) released a statement on the president's action.

"Former Gov. Blagojevich betrayed the people of Illinois and engaged in a pattern of corrupt behavior for which he was held accountable and which cost him more than seven years of freedom," he said. "At a time when corruption by elected officials is still in the headlines, Illinois and Washington should move quickly to establish stricter ethics requirements, including the full detailed disclosure of income, net worth, and income tax returns by all elected officials."

Southern Illinois Media Group writer Holly Kee contributed to this story.