The story of Governor Blagojevich.

0:00 Speaker 1 What is today is an old friend. I haven’t seen him in years, Governor Rod Goyevich. And I finally could say your name right, Uh Rod? Uh. And he was the governor of Illinois. He ran into a problem and uh then Uh, but he’s back and he likes politics.

0:20 He loves politics. He may go back into the into politics. Rod. Good to hear from you again. You’re governor of Illinois for eight years. Uh, and Uh, what’s going on in politics today? It seems like your old friend, Barack Obama, President Obama is now out to get President Biden. It looks like that.

0:50 Speaker 2 At least, what say you, I say that you know what you know. Believe you don’t believe what you’re saying, because I think that’s exactly what’s happening. I think President Obama is working behind the scenes, using his influence, which is very substantial and significant in the Democratic Prime Party with constituency groups in the Democratic Party, they have a

1:12 tremendous amount of influence, like movie stars and people like George Clooney. And I think he’s doing what he can to encourage President Biden to get out of the race because the Democrats are very afraid that Trump is going to beat Biden, and they feel like they have a better chance of winning if Biden isn’t there. So no,

1:31 I think that’s what’s happening. You know. Harry Truman used to say, one of the great Democrat presidents, if you want a front in Washington, get a dog. And this is just another example of how cutthroat and politics is and how backstabbing is oftentimes the rule, not the exception.

1:46 Speaker 1 I think Bill Clinton said that too, and.

1:51 Speaker 2 Kelly certainly had his share of enemies as we all have politics. And frankly, John, anybody who really works to get things done is going to inevitably stir up some opposition and make some enemies. So it kind of goes along with the territory.

2:04 Speaker 1 Now, you got in trouble back in twenty eleven, twenty ten, in that period of time where they said that you you know, you’re getting influenced to pick the next US senator. Yeah, well, honey, I mean that’s fifteen years ago, fourteen years ago, and you got a sentence that I thought was way, way, way too hard for the crime.

2:34 Speaker 2 I’ll tell you this, John, it was way too harsh for the non crime because I didn’t break all across the lender to take up penny. It was all routine political talk that began with the President elect Obama on election night in early November two thousand and eight. It was a historic night. It was a magical night in Chicago.

2:49 I was the first governor in America. I was a Democrat governor to endorse Obama. He and I came up in politics in Chicago at the same time, mid nineteen nineties, and we both kind of were went it pretty fast.

3:01 I became governor. He became the Senator two years later, and then he became president elect, and he sent an emissary to me, a union boss who was friendly to both of us, that night to ask if he could call me and meet with me and talk about a political deal in exchange for the appointment of a Senate

3:17 candidate that he wanted. There was nothing illegal on Obama’s part, and there was nothing illegal on my part. But he went to the White House for eight years, and I went to the Big House for eight years. John and I went from being governor of Illinois to inmate number four zero eight nine two four to two four. It

3:29 needless to say, it’s way better being governor, But I didn’t do it. I would never give in. In that sentence you refer to as a product of the fact that I fought back, and what they did to me was the beginning of what they’re doing to President Trump.

3:42 And they did this to a Democrat governor. And I think they learned from what they did and what they got away with, weaponizing prosecutors, criminalizing things that are legal and routine and politics. I was accused of trying to attempt to sell President elect Obamas Senate w to lie.

3:57 Eventually the Appella Court reversed it. Still people don’t know that, but they reversed it because it was routine political log rowing, that’s what they called it. And if I was guilty of trying to sell, as Senate Steve Obama was guilty of trying to buy one, but he wasn’t. It was politics, and I wouldn’t give in. I fought back, and then

4:13 you know they did what They didn’t condemn me there for fourteen years, and who’dah thought, John are Republican President Donald Trump, God bless him, would reach and to rescue me a Democrat governor, restore my freedom and reunite with my two daughters and my wife Patty. I’d spent two eight hundred and ninety six days in prison, one month

4:29 short of eight years, and I owe President Trump a lot on a personal level, and I very much support him as a Democrat. For Trump, I called myself a Trumpocrat because I believe his new Republican Party is the party that now stands for and fights for the average working person in America.

4:48 Speaker 1 Now, why did this happen? I mean, maybe because you didn’t want to go along with who they wanted you to appoint for president. I ford you send it.

4:59 Speaker 2 No, I don’t think it was that at all. I think it was at the time. These were Bush appointed Bush Cheney appointed prosecutors. These were Republican US attorneys, and I was a Democrat governor. I believe what they wanted me to do was to flip on Obama. I think they wanted me to say that, yeah, I was trying

5:15 to sell us Senate that he was trying to buy That’s my belief. But again, as I said, Obama did nothing wrong. He sent someone to me to make a political deal, and I talked about political deals.

5:26 Speaker 1 Nothing didn’t Why didn’t President Obama pardon you?

5:33 Speaker 2 I think what happened was he made a deal with those people right after I was elected. I mean he was elected, I should say. And I was arrested on December eighth, two thousand and eight, December the ninth, two thousand and eight, at six o’clock in the morning, at my home, that sitting governor being arrested with SWAT teams

5:50 around my house. It was a super sensational event with a super sensational press conference to create a political dynamic that was impossible to fight against. I think what they did was they created such a storm, international storm at the time that Obama was politically in a very hard spot.

6:07 And as I said, you know, you want a front in Washington, get a dog. Obama protected himself politically. I think he made a deal with them, and the deal basically was he would leave them as US attorneys because as a practice, the new president removed the US attorneys of the other party and put US attorneys of his

6:25 party into office. So he allowed them to stay. And I think they told him they would leave him alone as long as he stayed and kept away from doing anything to help me. And so I was, you know, fighting pretty much that battle all by myself. Was very lonely.

6:40 It was very hard, but I fought back because they’re corrupt, because I was elected by the people twice in Illinois, and these people are making fake crimes that don’t exist, calling things that are legal crimes, and undoing the will of the people and hijacking governors from office. Exactly the thing that’s being done to Trump by the Democrats is

7:00 what was done to me by these Republican Bush appointed chaineye type of Republican prosecutors. So I think Obama protected himself politically, and that’s why he just did nothing to help. And as I said, you know, Donald Trump’s a very different kind of person. He’s not a typical politician where he’s only looking at the political benefit of these things

7:20 or the potential political pushback. He actually tries to help people or do things that go against the grain of the establishment. And what he did for me did nothing to help him at all. He just saw something that he thought was wrong, and he was very kind about it.

7:33 And as I said, I’ll always be grateful.

7:37 Speaker 1 But how did you apply for a pardon? How did President Trump find out about your situation?

7:45 Speaker 2 Well, John, the Lord works in mysterious ways, and I truly believe I came home on a miracle after eight years. I would have still I’ve been home four years, but I had President Trump not intervened, I would have still been in prison until the end of May twenty twenty four.

8:01 So he gave me four years back that I otherwise wouldn’t have. And I think, I think, well, I’ll tell you why I think it happened. I’m out of work. I was like the only honest guy in the Illinois politics who didn’t get rich in the business. And so I have no income and no one will touch you

8:17 when you have this sort of thing on that’s understandable. You’re like a leper and you can’t work because of the controversy. As you get ready to go to trial. And they tried me twice, by the way, they didn’t make me on their fake charges the first time, so they tried me a second time. And an event Trump

8:35 saw me on the David Letterman show or something, and he liked the fact that I was fighting back the way I was, and so he invites me on celebrity of preduce. You’re too busy, You’re too busy being successful.

8:44 You never watched that show, either, did I when I was governor. But suddenly I have a way where I can earn some income for my family while I’m in that dark period and do his television show. And he was so kind to me and so good to me.

8:57 And this was in October of two thousand and nine that weaved it. Never in my wildest dreams, John, could I imagine that he’s ever going to go into politics, much less be president of the United States. I mean, Donald Trump had a great life. He was, you know, very successful like you in business, and his case, he

9:13 was very popular. His show was like the number one rated show, you know, and he had all those other qualities and beautiful models that he dates, and beautiful model that he was married, and all of those things. Why would he want to complicate his life by going into politics.

9:25 So it never crossed my mind. But you know, he properly fired me on that show and then again miraculously freed me years later. So he knew me a little bit, and he told me he thought I was getting screwed from the beginning. He thought it was all politics, and he was right. And he did say that he’d liked

9:44 the fact that I fought back the way I did. And I have to say, there’s parallels. You know, I’m sort of like a you know, junior version of Trump. I mean, he fights back the way I did, and I’m much higher in a much bigger stage. And what they’re doing to him on that much bigger stages. As

10:00 I said, what they did to me. No crimes on Trump, no crimes on me, just partisan political hits by weaponized prosecutors. And here’s the big question for every American, whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, put your love of country above your political party and vote in this election to stop this weaponization of prosecutions because they’re destroying the rule of

10:22 law and the constitution. And this is the politics of Russia and the Soviet Union and Banana Republic. This is not the politics of what Abraham Lincoln’s that was the last best hope on earth, the right of the people to choose their leaders and elections that are free and fair.

10:38 Speaker 1 Well, governor, that’s some story. And I’m glad you’re free, and I’m glad you’re able to be in a free country where you can tell your story. And I pray for you, and I’m glad you’re out. And whatever we can do to help you, let us know.

10:58 Speaker 2 I appreciate it, John, to graduate relations to you and your great success. America is the greatest country in the world. It wasn’t my country that did it to me and my family. It was my government and some bad people in the government. But I’m blessed and I’m so grateful for the blessings that I have. And I’m writing a

11:14 book about my experiences in prison because I was a governor. I think about this job. I went from being the governor of the fifth largest state in America, and my story starts with Obama one president, ends with another President Trump.

11:26 And in the book, I write mostly about my time in prison with crips and bloods and gangster disciples and seen a lowell cartel drug dealers who look up to l Chapo the way my young daughters look up to Taylor Swift that were murders. In that prison that I was in, I went from a fifty thousand square foot

11:40 governor’s mansion to a six foot by eight foot prison cell. They were squeezing me and pressuring me to say I did something wrong when I didn’t, and had I simply given in, that journey would have been a lot less long and would have been a lot easier, but there’s no way I would have because those people are corrupt

11:57 and they have to be stopped because they’re taking away our freedoms.

12:00 Speaker 1 Well, Governor Rod blagorovic I said it right. Thank you so much for coming on and look forward to talking to you about politics in the future.

12:09 Speaker 2 Thank you, John, God bless you. God bless