In a fiery CNN segment, host Anderson Cooper called out an unrepentant Rod Blagojevich, on his third day out of prison following the commutation of his sentence by Donald.
Mr Blagojevich, the former Democratic governor of Illinois, imprisoned in late 2011 following convictions in 17 out of 20 corruption charges, claimed that he was a “political prisoner” not dissimilar to Nelson Mandela and made excuses as to why he should not have been in prison.
Responding to his protestations and refusal to acknowledge established facts, Mr Cooper said: “You got out. You do have an obligation to at least admit what you did wrong.
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“And you refused to do that, and you’re creating a whole new alternate universe of facts.”
He added: “And that may be big in politics today, but it’s still, frankly, just bulls***.”
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Trump styles his ‘You’re fired!’ pose in his Tower office in June 2012. At the time he was known as a reality TV star on The Apprentice
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He was also well known as the patron of the Miss Universe competition
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Early signs of’s ambition for the presidency can be found everywhere. Not least in his 2011 book ‘Time to get tough: Making America #1 again’
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Trump with Piers Morgan in November 2010. Piers Morgan has long held that he and are good friends
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Trump appeared on Fox & Friends, his favourite show, in August 2011
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Trump considered running in the 2012 election, where he would have faced Barack Obama. He is speaking here at an event for a Republican women’s group
Getty
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Trump was subject to a Comedy Central roast in 2011. He is pictured here being roasted by rapper Snoop Dogg
Getty
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Given that this store is in the lobby of Tower, it can be said that sells merchandise of himself out of his own home
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Trump held meetings with prominent Republicans when considering his 2012 bid. He is pictured here with Alaska governor Sarah Palin
Getty
10/29
He didn’t end up running in 2012 afterall, instead endorsing Republican candidate Mitt Romney
AFP/Getty
11/29
Trump’s golf course in Aberdeen proved controversial in 2012 when he began lobbying the Scottish government against wind power in order that they wouldn’t install turbines off the shore by his new course
Getty
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He even gave eence to a Scottish parliamentary committee discouraging wind energy
AFP/Getty
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He still found time for a round of course
AFP/Getty
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On 16 June 2015, announced that he would run for the presidency of the United States in the 2016 election as a Republican
Getty
15/29
His campaign was divisive, courting controversy wherever he went. Ultimately he was declared the Republican candidate in June 2016
Getty
16/29
Trump took part in the TV debate against opponent Hillary Clinton on 9 October
Getty
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Trump and wife Melania vote in the presidential election on 8 November 2016
AFP/Getty
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Hillary Clinton conceded defeat at 2:50am on 9 November and president-elect swiftly delivered his victory speech to a crowd of supporters
Getty
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News coverage around the world focused on the huge political upset that’s victory spelled
AFP/Getty
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Trump met with president Obama to discusss transition planning on 10 November.
AFP/Getty
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Donald and Nigel Farage pose in the golden elevator at Tower on 12 November 2016. Farage was the first British politician to meet with after the election
LeaveEUOffical/Twitter
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The inauguration of Donald took place on 20 January 2017.’s press secretary Sean Spicer boasted that the crowd was the ‘largest ever’ to witness an inauguration, a claim that was proved not to be true
Getty
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In his first 100 days as leader, signed 24 executve orders, the most of any president
AFP/Getty
24/29
One of’s most memorable election pledges was to build a wall between the US and Mexico. He is standing here in front of a prototype for a section of the wall
Getty
25/29
Trump’s meetings with other world leaders have proed no short supply of photo opportunities
Getty
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Trump was welcomed to the UK by the Queen and a state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in his honour
Reuters
27/29
Not everyone welcomed the president. Mass protests were held in London throughout his visits in both 2018 and 2019
EPA
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One of the most significant meetings has held with another leader was with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. In June 2019, became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea
Getty
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2020 will see president fight for a second term in office, who knows what the next decade will bring?
Getty
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Trump styles his ‘You’re fired!’ pose in his Tower office in June 2012. At the time he was known as a reality TV star on The Apprentice
Diane Bondareff/Invision/AP
2/29
He was also well known as the patron of the Miss Universe competition
Getty
3/29
Early signs of’s ambition for the presidency can be found everywhere. Not least in his 2011 book ‘Time to get tough: Making America #1 again’
Getty
4/29
Trump with Piers Morgan in November 2010. Piers Morgan has long held that he and are good friends
Getty
5/29
Trump appeared on Fox & Friends, his favourite show, in August 2011
Getty
6/29
Trump considered running in the 2012 election, where he would have faced Barack Obama. He is speaking here at an event for a Republican women’s group
Getty
7/29
Trump was subject to a Comedy Central roast in 2011. He is pictured here being roasted by rapper Snoop Dogg
Getty
8/29
Given that this store is in the lobby of Tower, it can be said that sells merchandise of himself out of his own home
Getty
9/29
Trump held meetings with prominent Republicans when considering his 2012 bid. He is pictured here with Alaska governor Sarah Palin
Getty
10/29
He didn’t end up running in 2012 afterall, instead endorsing Republican candidate Mitt Romney
AFP/Getty
11/29
Trump’s golf course in Aberdeen proved controversial in 2012 when he began lobbying the Scottish government against wind power in order that they wouldn’t install turbines off the shore by his new course
Getty
12/29
He even gave eence to a Scottish parliamentary committee discouraging wind energy
AFP/Getty
13/29
He still found time for a round of course
AFP/Getty
14/29
On 16 June 2015, announced that he would run for the presidency of the United States in the 2016 election as a Republican
Getty
15/29
His campaign was divisive, courting controversy wherever he went. Ultimately he was declared the Republican candidate in June 2016
Getty
16/29
Trump took part in the TV debate against opponent Hillary Clinton on 9 October
Getty
17/29
Trump and wife Melania vote in the presidential election on 8 November 2016
AFP/Getty
18/29
Hillary Clinton conceded defeat at 2:50am on 9 November and president-elect swiftly delivered his victory speech to a crowd of supporters
Getty
19/29
News coverage around the world focused on the huge political upset that’s victory spelled
AFP/Getty
20/29
Trump met with president Obama to discusss transition planning on 10 November.
AFP/Getty
21/29
Donald and Nigel Farage pose in the golden elevator at Tower on 12 November 2016. Farage was the first British politician to meet with after the election
LeaveEUOffical/Twitter
22/29
The inauguration of Donald took place on 20 January 2017.’s press secretary Sean Spicer boasted that the crowd was the ‘largest ever’ to witness an inauguration, a claim that was proved not to be true
Getty
23/29
In his first 100 days as leader, signed 24 executve orders, the most of any president
AFP/Getty
24/29
One of’s most memorable election pledges was to build a wall between the US and Mexico. He is standing here in front of a prototype for a section of the wall
Getty
25/29
Trump’s meetings with other world leaders have proed no short supply of photo opportunities
Getty
26/29
Trump was welcomed to the UK by the Queen and a state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in his honour
Reuters
27/29
Not everyone welcomed the president. Mass protests were held in London throughout his visits in both 2018 and 2019
EPA
28/29
One of the most significant meetings has held with another leader was with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. In June 2019, became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea
Getty
29/29
2020 will see president fight for a second term in office, who knows what the next decade will bring?
Getty
“It’s not bulls***, I lived it myself,” Mr Blagojevic protested. “It’s not bulls*** at all.”
As governor, Mr Blagojevich was charged with corruption and impeached by the state legislature. He was accused of wire fraud, attempted extortion, and conspiracy to solicit bribes. Most famously his charges included trying to solicit money for an appointment to former President Barack Obama’s US Senate seat after he won the presidency.
After his first trial ended in a hung jury, a retrial was ordered and he was found guilty and sentenced to 14 years in prison. He claimed his conviction was the result of lies the prosecutors told to the jury in the trial.
Said Cooper: “The very argument you are making right now … it was heard in the courtroom and no one bought it.”
explains why he commuted Blagojevich sentence
The anchor was unamused by the lack of remorse from Mr Blagojevich for the crimes for which he was convicted, and his portrayal of himself as a victim or persecution by prosecutors. Cooper was especially taken aback by the claim that the former governor was a political prisoner comparable to Mandela, which he described as “offensive” and “just nuts”.
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Now out of prison, Mr Blagojevich has said he will advocate for criminal justice reform. As governor he took little action on clemency petitions, acting on only a quarter of them. Cooper said his new found interest in criminal justice is therefore “ironic, and, frankly, a little sad and pathetic and hypocritical”.
“That’s among my biggest regrets,” said Mr Blagojevich before claiming he didn’t know how corrupt the criminal justice system was until he experienced it himself.
Cooper’s refusal to let Mr Blagojevich’s claims go unchallenged has drawn praise across social media, being called “masterful” and cited as an example of “real journalism”.
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Mr Blagojevich now describes himself as a “Trumpocrat”. He has known the president for some years, having appeared on Celebrity Apprentice in 2010.
