Trump's decision to commute Blagojevich's sentence was met with bipartisan criticism in Illinois. Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said at the time that Trump "has abused his pardon power in inexplicable ways to reward his friends and condone corruption, and I deeply believe this pardon sends the wrong message at the wrong time."

The ex-governor said he and the president were victims of 'lawfare' and didn't address rumors that he's being considered for an ambassadorship.

The former Illinois governor was convicted on multiple charges of corruption in 2011. He served eight years in prison before Trump commuted his sentence in 2020.

President Trump on Monday signed a full and unconditional pardon for Rod Blagojevich, the former Democratic governor of Illinois, who served eight years in prison on corruption charges until Trump

Trump's pardon of Blagojevich, who was convicted in 2011 on corruption charges that included attempting to sell former President Obama's Senate seat, was not well-received among Illinois elected officials.

Blagojevich, who was a Democrat while in office, supported Trump in the 2024 election and attended last July's GOP Convention.

Blagojevich was commuted after serving nearly eight of his 14-year sentence in February 2020, during President Trump's first presidency.