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Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich sounded the alarm on what he calls a “broken” justice system, claiming the tactics used against him paved the way for the later prosecution of President Donald Trump.
Blagojevich, a former Democrat turned Trump ally, spent nearly a decade in prison after being found guilty of corruption in 2011. He has long maintained his innocence, arguing that the actions he was imprisoned over were simply routine aspects of politics.
“If they want to get you, they do this. And we saw what they did to President Trump, which is unprecedented, unbelievable. I really believe they started with me,” Blagojevich said on the “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” podcast.
In FBI wiretaps, Blagojevich was heard discussing his power to appoint a successor to the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama after he was elected president in 2008. Prosecutors argued the wiretaps proved he planned to use the appointment to secure personal political favors.
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A jury also found he demanded donations from the head of a children’s hospital in return for state support and extorted donations from racing executives in exchange for favorable legislation.
“These weaponized, politicized prosecutors who are abusing their power. It’s uncontrolled, their power, unlimited resources, and they’re creating non-crimes for things that are routine and necessary in politics and government,” Blagojevich said.
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Trump commuted Blagojevich’s sentence in 2020 before granting him a full pardon in 2025. After leaving the White House, Trump faced several legal battles that he, like Blagojevich, blasted as political “lawfare.”
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Beyond Trump, Blagojevich also compared his case to Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chair who was convicted of financial crimes before being pardoned.
“Those tactics they used to pressure and squeeze Paul Manafort to say things about Trump that weren’t true, those are Soviet-style, KGB, police-state tactics in the United States of America.”
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“It’s very corrupt. And again, when you inject it into the political process, it’s even more corrupt. This is the greatest constitutional crisis in American history since the Civil War,” he added.
Four separate cases were brought against Trump during his reelection bid: a Georgia RICO case, a classified documents case, a federal election interference case and a New York “hush money” case.
Hannity’s twice-weekly podcast launched this month, featuring interviews with Stephen A. Smith, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. John Fetterman and more.
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