Latest news with #RodBlagojevich
Forbes
04-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Here's How Much Trump's Pardons And Commutations Have Cost The Federal Government
President Donald Trump's pardons and commutations have cost more than $100 million in fines owed to the federal government and another $1.5 billion in restitution to victims. President Donald Trump, accompanied by White House staff secretary Will Scharf (L), and Commerce ... More Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick (R), speaks as he signs a series of executive orders including a pardon for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich at the White House on February 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by) Getty Images Trump has pardoned or commuted the sentences of 16 people or companies whose sentences included fines ranging from $50 to $100,000,000 and total $102,647,458, according to a Justice Department list, though the figure is likely even higher as the DOJ list omits some previously reported fines and restitution payments. Meanwhile, Trump has granted clemencies and commutations to people who owe more than $1.3 billion in restitution money, combined, to victims of white collar crime, according to the former U.S. pardon attorney Liz Oyer, who tallied the money using court records. Fines are paid to the Treasury Department, while restitution is paid to crime victims. Oyer's tally does not include $2.6 million in restitution payments the 1,270 pardoned Jan. 6 defendants owed, according to a report by House Democrats. Trump issued the pardons at the same time his administration has lamented the size of the federal government's debt. The people included in Oyer's tally include Nikola founder and Trump donor Trevor Milton, who owed nearly $680 million in restitution to Nikoka shareholders; Todd and Julie Chrisley, reality TV stars convicted of bank and wire fraud who were ordered to pay more than $22 million in restitution combined; and Paul Walczak, who was convicted of tax crimes and owed $4.4 million in restitution before he was pardoned by Trump after his mother attended a $1 million-per-person fundraising dinner for the president. It's unclear how much of the fines had already been paid to the federal government at the time of the pardons and commutations. Money already paid would not be refunded to those who received clemencies. Big Number 70. That's the total number of pardons and commutations Trump has issued this year, according to the DOJ, not counting Jan. 6 defendants. Former President Joe Biden granted 4,245 acts of clemency during his time in office, more than any other president in history, according to Pew Research Center. Tangent The Justice Department and some Jan. 6 defendants have argued they should be reimbursed for the fines and restitution they already paid. At least one federal judge, Randolph Moss, ruled recently against a refund request, writing that 'once a conviction has been 'established by judicial proceedings,' any penalties imposed are 'presumed to have been rightfully done and justly suffered,' regardless of whether the defendant later receives a pardon," Law & Crime reported. Key Background Trump has made a multitude of controversial pardons since taking office, many for people he claims were politically persecuted by the Biden administration or those who align with him politically. He pardoned the Chrisleys, for example, after their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, spoke at the Republican National Convention and fiercely advocated for the pardons. Devon Archer and Jason Galanis, both convicted of defrauding Native Americans, were pardoned after they testified in the Republican impeachment inquiry against Biden. Further Reading Pardon Applications Are Being Carefully Crafted With One Man In Mind: Donald Trump (Associated Press) Former FBI Agent Pardoned By Trump For Jan. 6 Charges Now Serving In Justice Department: Sources (ABC News) Trump Pardons Drug Kingpins Even As He Escalates U.S. Drug War Rhetoric (NPR)
Chicago Tribune
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: Rod Blagojevich convicted
Today is Friday, June 27, the 178th day of 2025. There are 187 days left in the year. Today in history: On June 27, 2011, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was convicted by a federal jury in Chicago on a wide range of corruption charges, including the allegation that he'd tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat. (Blagojevich was later sentenced to 14 years in prison; his sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump in February 2020, and he received a full and unconditional pardon from Trump in February 2025.) Rod Blagojevich saga: From arrest to Donald Trump's pardonAlso on this date: In 1844, Mormon leader Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois. In 1950, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution calling on member nations to help South Korea repel an invasion from the North. In 1957, Hurricane Audrey slammed into coastal Louisiana and Texas as a Category 4 storm, causing as many as 600 deaths. In 1991, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first Black jurist to sit on the nation's highest court, announced his retirement. In 2005, BTK serial killer Dennis Rader pleaded guilty to 10 murders that had spread fear across Wichita, Kansas, beginning in the 1970s. In 2006, a constitutional amendment to ban desecration of the American flag died in a U.S. Senate cliff-hanger, falling one vote short of the 67 needed to send it to states for ratification. In 2018, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose vote often decided cases on abortion, gay rights and other contentious issues, announced his retirement. In 2022, in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the Supreme Court ruled that a high school football coach who sought to kneel and pray on the field after games was protected by the First Amendment. Today's Birthdays: Musician Bruce Johnston (The Beach Boys) is 83. Fashion designer Norma Kamali is 80. Fashion designer Vera Wang is 76. Actor Julia Duffy is 74. Actor Isabelle Adjani is 70. Cinematographer Janusz Kamiński is 66. Country singer Lorrie Morgan is 66. Actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai is 63. Writer-producer-director J.J. Abrams is 59. Actor Tobey Maguire is 50. Reality TV star Khloé Kardashian is 41. Actor Sam Claflin is 39. Actor Ed Westwick is 38. NFL linebacker Bobby Wagner is 35. Actor Madylin Sweeten ('Everybody Loves Raymond') is 34. Singer-songwriter H.E.R. is 28. Actor Chandler Riggs ('The Walking Dead') is 26.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans, some Democrats and even ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich weigh in on ex-Speaker Michael Madigan's sentence
In what's become somewhat customary once an Illinois political titan falls, leaders throughout the state responded with condemnation and called for reforms upon hearing Friday that ex-Speaker Michael Madigan was sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison and fined $2.5 million on federal corruption charges. House Republican leader Tony McCombie of Savanna and Senate Republican leader John Curran of Downers Grove called for bipartisan ethics reforms in the wake of the sentencing, with Curran specifically requesting committee hearings and votes on potential changes — something that didn't happen this session. Madigan's sentencing was 'a stark and shameful reminder of the corruption that has plagued Illinois government for far too long,' McCombie said in a statement. 'Justice was served — but the damage to public trust runs deep.' But Illinois' last prominent statewide politician who went to federal prison, former Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, held back on the chance to take a swipe at a bitter nemesis when Madigan was sentenced. Though the two were Democrats, they feuded for nearly all six years Blagojevich was in office between 2003 and 2009. 'When that guy, Madigan, was on the top of the mountain, they were all kissing his ass,' Blagojevich said. 'Now they're going to be stomping all over his grave. And it's really, it's really sort of an unappealing side of human nature.' Blagojevich said Madigan's conviction underscores the systemic problems in politics and government in the state Capitol. 'Is the system in Springfield corrupt, in many ways, absolutely,' Blagojevich said in an interview with the Tribune while insisting he didn't break the law. 'It's a system, I've been saying this from the beginning, it all too often works for itself on the backs of the people.' Blagojevich — whose 14-year federal prison sentence for corruption was commuted by President Donald Trump, who ultimately also pardoned Blagojevich — didn't want to celebrate Madigan's prison sentence despite the two's often-tense relationship. 'I just don't think it's right for me to kick a man when he's down,' Blagojevich said. 'What's happening now to him, I know what it's like. And it's really easy for these politicians to get on their high horses and start kicking someone, stomping on someone.' Senate President Don Harmon, a Democrat from Oak Park who is facing a potential fine of nearly $10 million from the Illinois State Board of Elections for improper political fundraising, said Friday's sentence represented 'a solemn reminder' that the duty of public office holders is to serve 'and that there is accountability for those who do not.'
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Today in Chicago History: Two White Sox pitchers throw no-hitters — 104 years apart
Today in Chicago History: Two White Sox pitchers throw no-hitters — 104 years apart Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on April 14, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) Advertisement High temperature: 85 degrees (2003) Low temperature: 23 degrees (1943) Precipitation: 1.21 inches (1949) Snowfall: 5.4 inches (2019) 1917: Chicago White Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte threw a no-hitter in his first start of the season. White Sox pitchers have thrown more no-hitters than any other American League team. The sad final years of famed architect Louis Sullivan 1924: After spending his final years living in the Hotel Warner at 33rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue in Chicago, penniless and in rapidly declining health, architect Louis Sullivan died. 1925: WGN-AM radio announcer Quinn Ryan was perched on the roof of the grandstand at Cubs Park to deliver the first broadcast of the regular season — and the first Cubs game ever carried on radio. The Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-2. Advertisement Almost exactly 23 years later, WGN-Ch. 9 broadcast its first Cubs game on television. 1994: The Blackhawks finished a 65-year run in Chicago Stadium by losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-4 in their last regular-season game there. 2009: Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich entered a not guilty plea in his corruption case at a hearing that lasted just minutes. Rod Blagojevich saga: From arrest to Donald Trump's pardon But his first appearance since his stunning arrest more than four months prior unleashed 'Blagomania' on the sidewalk outside the courthouse. 2021: Carlos Rodón threw the 20th no-hitter in White Sox history, striking out seven in an 8-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians in front of 7,148 at Guaranteed Rate Field. He was perfect through 8 innings before hitting Roberto Pérez with a pitch. Advertisement Chicago White Sox pitchers have thrown 20 no-hitters since 1902 — including 3 perfect games. Relive them all here. Want more vintage Chicago? Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past. Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at krumore@ and mmather@
Chicago Tribune
14-04-2025
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: Two White Sox pitchers throw no-hitters — 104 years apart
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on April 14, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) High temperature: 85 degrees (2003) Low temperature: 23 degrees (1943) Precipitation: 1.21 inches (1949) Snowfall: 5.4 inches (2019) 1917: Chicago White Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte threw a no-hitter in his first start of the season. White Sox pitchers have thrown more no-hitters than any other American League team. 1924: After spending his final years living in the Hotel Warner at 33rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue in Chicago, penniless and in rapidly declining health, architect Louis Sullivan died. 1925: WGN-AM radio announcer Quinn Ryan was perched on the roof of the grandstand at Cubs Park to deliver the first broadcast of the regular season — and the first Cubs game ever carried on radio. The Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-2. Almost exactly 23 years later, WGN-Ch. 9 broadcast its first Cubs game on television. 1994: The Blackhawks finished a 65-year run in Chicago Stadium by losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-4 in their last regular-season game there. 2009: Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich entered a not guilty plea in his corruption case at a hearing that lasted just minutes. Rod Blagojevich saga: From arrest to Donald Trump's pardon But his first appearance since his stunning arrest more than four months prior unleashed 'Blagomania' on the sidewalk outside the courthouse. 2021: Carlos Rodón threw the 20th no-hitter in White Sox history, striking out seven in an 8-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians in front of 7,148 at Guaranteed Rate Field. He was perfect through 8 innings before hitting Roberto Pérez with a pitch. Want more vintage Chicago?
