Formerly convicted ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich sues for right to seek elected office again

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Mike Brest
·2 min read
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Former Illinois governor and felon Rod Blagojevich filed a lawsuit against the state, demanding that his right to run for elected office get reinstated.

Blagojevich, who served eight years of a fourteen-year prison sentence that was commuted by former President Donald Trump in Feb. 2020, despite consternation from some Republicans, lost the chance to run again following a 2009 vote by the Illinois Legislature, which occurred a year after his arrest.

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“I’m back from the dead. And it’s good to be alive again,” he told reporters on Monday outside a Chicago federal courthouse. “It’s about the people’s right to choose their own leaders.”

The 64-year-old Democrat said a desire to run for public office is not a certainty for him even though the lawsuit, if he wins in court, would permit him to do so.

“I haven’t thought about running for office,” Blagojevich added. “But I am not going to rule out any options either.”

He was arrested in 2008 and was accused of corruption and campaign finance violations as he sought political contributions in return for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by then-President Barack Obama after his electoral victory propelled him to the White House.

The Illinois House voted 114-1 to impeach him, and the state Senate unanimously voted to remove him. The upper chamber also passed a resolution to prevent him from running for state and local office in Illinois moving forward.

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Blagojevich accused the lawmakers of casting that vote unconstitutionally as he claims he was not allowed to call and question witnesses and alleged he was barred from his right to present potentially exculpatory evidence.

The Illinois Supreme Court also disbarred Blagojevich months after he was released from prison.

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Tags: News, Rod Blagojevich, Illinois, Donald Trump, lawsuit, Election

Original Author: Mike Brest

Original Location: Formerly convicted ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich sues for right to seek elected office again

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