Michael Whatley Seeks Support from Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich
Michael Whatley, running for the U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina, is facing challenges with close poll numbers and slow fundraising efforts. In light of this, he has sought the assistance of Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor who is a convicted felon.
Whatley made an appearance with Blagojevich at a fundraising event on March 19, held at the Trump Tower in Chicago. Don Tracy, the Republican Senate candidate from Illinois, was also present.
Rod Blagojevich, who served as Illinois governor starting in 2002 and was reelected in 2006, faced impeachment and removal from office in 2009. This was due to his attempts to leverage the Senate seat left vacant by Barack Obama, then President-elect, for personal gain.
In a 2009 FBI-recorded phone call, Blagojevich infamously stated, “I’ve got this thing, and it’s fucking golden. I’m just not giving it up for fucking nothing.”
Ultimately, Blagojevich was convicted in 2011 on 17 counts, including charges related to the attempted sale of the Senate seat and other extortion charges linked to state funds. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison but continues to assert his innocence.
President Donald Trump commuted Blagojevich’s sentence in 2020, facilitating his early release. Following this, Trump issued a full pardon last year, removing the charges from Blagojevich’s record.
Trump’s decision drew criticism from many Illinois lawmakers, including several Republicans. Republican state Sen. Jil Tracy remarked, “Anybody that had lived in the state of Illinois during that time and saw how dysfunctional and chaotic that administration was. This man abused his power and there definitely was a pay-for-play.”
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin also condemned the scandal as one of the worst in Illinois history, as noted in his statement.
Whatley’s campaign has previously encountered controversy for accepting $21,000 in contributions from individuals linked to health care fraud.
Running against Whatley is Roy Cooper, the former governor of North Carolina.
The post Michael Whatley turns to convicted ex-governor for campaign boost appeared first on American Journal News.
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