PLAYBOOK Q&A: We talked to Rod Blagojevich after President Donald Trump pardoned him earlier this week. The former governor who served time for a federal corruption conviction still has a beef with what he calls “weaponized prosecutors” who “corruptly hijacked” him from office. What he hopes for: The pardon “is a significant step” toward telling his story, said Blagojevich in our phone interview. Next, he wants to get the sealed FBI tapes of his conversations made public since only a small portion made it into his trials. Our interview has been edited for clarity and length. Who congratulated you after your pardon? Elmwood Park Village President Angelo "Skip" Saviano, former mayoral candidate Willie Wilson and former state Sen. James “Jimmy” DeLeo. “Jimmy called me this morning because I’ve told the story about how I thought he was the one calling me at 6 o’clock in the morning on Dec. 9, 2008, saying an FBI agent was at my door. I thought it was him playing a practical joke [It really was the FBI.]. So, he called today because he got a kick out of that.” Now that you’re a “Trump-ocrat,” was it difficult to turn your back on the Democratic Party? “I was very much at home with the Democratic party, but I've gotten to a point where political party is less important. I’m for good people. My favorite people in politics are Donald Trump, Jan Schakowsky and Danny Davis,” he said, referring to the president and two of Illinois’ Democratic members of Congress who he served with in D.C. before running for governor. “These are good people. I might disagree with them on specific issues, but I feel our government and our country are better served when we just elect good people who aren't fake bullshit politicians.” Are you interested in being an ambassador? “The most attractive part of that is the opportunity to take questions from the senators during confirmation hearings. … I’d like them to question me about where the lines are on fundraising and the standard they used to convict me on fundraising, given everyone of them would be convicted and go to prison, too.” What about running for another office in Illinois? “There's something about the competition of it [politics] that I like. …I like being in the mix, in the game. And I feel like a boxer who got taken out of the arena in the wrong way. There’s this thing I have where I'd like to get back in that arena one more time and make it right. … But what stops me is seeing how my daughters and my wife Patti have suffered a great deal because of my political career. It would be very selfish for me to put my family through that again ... unless I can convince Patti to see it a different way.” Have you made amends with Dick Mell, the former alderman and your father-in-law, who set off the federal probe accusing you of trading appointments for campaign cash? “I don't ever bring up the past, and my Christian faith requires me to be forgiving, and I am. He’s got a lot of real good qualities, and he's been very helpful to me in many ways and very harmful to me in other ways. Our relationship is really a Shakespearean story. The more success I had in politics, our relationship became more complicated and eventually deteriorated. But when I had to leave, he was the one person — as my daughters' grandfather and my wife’s father — who I knew wasn't gonna abandon them and leave them alone. He was very helpful, and I’ll forever be grateful to him for that.” RELATED Blago on the ballot? State lawmakers impeached him, removed him from office and barred him from holding public office in the state. “The state Constitution is clear that he can’t run for any state office after being impeached,” said Matt Dietrich, public information officer of the Illinois Board of Elections. But nothing is stopping Blagojevich from running for federal office. And there might be a window for him to run in the City of Chicago, where he lives. “It may come down to a Chicago Electoral Board decision if an objection is filed against him,” said Max Bever, the board’s director of public information. He pointed to former Ald. Proco “Joe” Moreno, who had a felony conviction on his record when he ran for office again in 2023. An objection was filed, but because the court had given Moreno a “second-chance” probation, the Elections Board allowed him to stay on the ballot. Here’s the statute. If you are Jose Tirado, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: skapos@politico.com
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