Corruption in Chicago's Political Landscape
Rod Blagojevich, a former state representative and U.S. congressman, was elected governor of Illinois in 2002. During his campaign, he promised to restore integrity and trust in government, as noted by prosecutors in court documents. However, prosecutors alleged that Blagojevich and his associates quickly began engaging in racketeering activities after he took office, using the powers of the governorship to seek financial benefits for themselves and others. In late 2008, Blagojevich was arrested for attempting to sell President Obama's vacant Senate seat and was impeached in January 2009 after he refused to resign.
He served as the Democratic governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009, but his tenure ended amidst corruption charges and subsequent impeachment by the state legislature. He was the first Democratic governor elected in Illinois in 30 years. Known for his showmanship, Blagojevich had a distinctive style characterized by his carefully coiffed hair, love for Elvis, and a penchant for jogging. He became acquainted with Donald Trump during a four-episode stint on “The Celebrity Apprentice” in 2010, prior to his first trial. Over the course of two trials, the first resulted in a hung jury on all counts except for one charge of lying to federal investigators.
In the second trial, prosecutors secured convictions on 17 of the 20 corruption charges, including those related to the attempts to sell Obama’s Senate seat. Blagojevich was also convicted of extortion concerning a children's hospital, a racetrack owner, and a building executive. The trial featured dramatic moments, including secret recordings of Blagojevich during these shakedowns. One of the most infamous tapes captured him referring to the Senate seat as “f***ing golden.” He was recorded saying, "I’ve got this thing, and it’s f***ing golden, and, uh, I’m just not giving it up for f***ing nothing," as reported by The Chicago Tribune. He was ultimately sentenced to 14 years in prison. The Supreme Court and federal appellate courts declined to hear his case, although an appellate court did overturn five of the counts on which he was convicted. Despite this, the judge in his case resentenced him to the same 14-year term. Seeking to connect with the media, Blagojevich wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, claiming that his conviction was unfair. In 2017, he also attempted to be involved with the struggling Chicago Sun-Times.
Rod Blagojevich had his prison sentence reduced by President Donald Trump at the end of Trump's term. "He’s been in jail for seven years for a phone call where nothing actually happened. He shouldn’t have said what he said, but it was just braggadocio," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. Trump was referring to wiretapped conversations in which Blagojevich was recorded trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois that Barack Obama vacated when he was elected president. Blagojevich's predecessor as governor, Republican George Ryan, was convicted on multiple charges, including fraud, racketeering, bribery, extortion, and money laundering, and received a sentence of six and a half years in prison. Blagojevich and Ryan are two of four former Illinois governors since the 1960s who have faced criminal convictions.
La corruption dans le paysage politique de Chicago
Rod Blagojevich, ancien député et membre du Congrès des États-Unis, a été élu gouverneur de l’Illinois en 2002. Pendant sa campagne, il a promis de rétablir l’intégrité et la confiance dans le gouvernement, comme l’ont noté les procureurs dans des documents judiciaires, puisque l'ancien gouverneur a été poursuivi pour une vingtaine de chefs d'accusation dont plusieurs de corruption. Les procureurs ont affirmé, dossiers en mains, que Blagojevich et ses associés ont rapidement commencé à se livrer à des activités de racket après son entrée en fonction, utilisant les pouvoirs du gouvernorat pour chercher des avantages financiers pour eux-mêmes et d’autres.
Fin 2008, Blagojevich a été arrêté pour avoir tenté de vendre le siège vacant du président Obama au Sénat et a été mis en accusation en janvier 2009 at démis de ses fonctions après qu’il a refusé de démissionner. Il a été gouverneur démocrate de l’Illinois de 2003 à 2009, mais son mandat s’est terminé au milieu des accusations de corruption et de la destitution subséquente par l’assemblée législative de l’État. Il a été le premier gouverneur démocrate élu en Illinois depuis 30 ans.
Connu pour son talent de showman, Blagojevich avait un style bien à lui, caractérisé par ses cheveux soigneusement coiffés, son amour pour Elvis et son penchant pour le jogging. Il a fait la connaissance de Donald Trump lors d’un passage de quatre épisodes dans « L’apprenti des célébrités » en 2010, avant son premier procès. Le premier procès a abouti à un non-lieu sauf sur un chef d’accusation de mensonge aux enquêteurs fédéraux. Au cours du deuxième procès, les procureurs ont obtenu des condamnations pour 17 des 20 accusations de corruption, y compris celles liées aux tentatives de vendre le siège sénatorial d’Obama.
Blagojevich a également été reconnu coupable d’extorsion concernant un hôpital pour enfants, un propriétaire de circuit et un dirigeant du bâtiment. Le procès a été marqué par des moments dramatiques, y compris des enregistrements secrets de Blagojevich