Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich Arrested for Attempting to Sell Obama's Senate Seat

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested at the governor’s home on federal corruption charges, including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. The 76-page FBI affidavit revealed that Blagojevich was captured on court-authorized wiretaps conspiring to sell or trade the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder for personal benefits. In one of the most infamous wiretapped conversations, recorded on November 5, 2008—the day after Obama’s election—Blagojevich was heard saying: “I’ve got this thing and it’s fing golden, and, uh, uh, I’m just not giving it up for fin’ nothing.”

The wiretaps documented Blagojevich discussing potential “pay-to-play” arrangements, including trading the Senate appointment for a cabinet position in the Obama administration, a high-paying job for himself, or campaign contributions. He also discussed attempting to leverage his appointment power to secure personal financial benefits and to punish the Chicago Tribune for critical editorial coverage by withholding state assistance for the sale of Wrigley Field. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald called the conduct “a political corruption crime spree” and stated that the governor’s actions would “make Lincoln roll over in his grave.”

Blagojevich was impeached and removed from office by the Illinois General Assembly in January 2009. In June 2011, he was convicted on 17 of 20 corruption charges and sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. President Donald Trump commuted his sentence in February 2020 after Blagojevich served nearly eight years. The case exemplified brazen political corruption and the effective use of wiretaps in exposing criminal conspiracies at the highest levels of state government.