REUTERS/John Gress
The U.S. Supreme Court has again rejected former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s appeal of his 14-year prison sentence on corruption charges, the Chicago Tribune reported. His lawyers attempted to argue that the line between illegal and legal political fundraising is “blurry.” Blagojevich is set to be released in 2024 after being convicted of extorting a children’s hospital for contributions and seeking to trade an appointment to the Senate seat Barack Obama vacated when he was elected president for campaign cash. He appealed his sentence in 2016, but it was also rejected. Blagojevich’s last hope is a pardon or commutation from President Trump, who has expressed empathy toward the former governor. Trump told Forbes in 2011 that he “felt bad for him and his family,” and said the situation is a “tragedy.”