President Donald Trump said Thursday he is considering a pardon for celebrity Martha Stewart and commuting the prison sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
The president discussed future pardons with reporters after announcing on Twitter that he wanted to pardon Dinesh D’Souza, who was convicted of reimbursing campaign donations to his friends.
Trump noted that Blagojevich made a “foolish” remark by bragging about getting favors for a Senate appointment but suggested the 18-year sentence was too high.
A plea from Blagojevich to reduce his 14-year sentence failed in 2016, meaning he faces prison until May 2024. He was convicted in 2011 for misusing his powers as governor, including an attempt to sell former President Barack Obama’s Senate seat before he was caught by the FBI.
“Eighteen years in jail for being stupid and saying things that every other politician, you know that many other politicians say,” Trump said. “I don’t know him other than that he was on The Apprentice for a short period of time.”
The president made his remarks after an off-the-record session with reporters during his Air Force One flight to Dallas, Texas.
Trump noted that even though Blagojevich was Democrat, “He’s not my party. But I thought that he was treated unfairly.”
Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison for lying about a stock sale and was prosecuted by former FBI director James Comey who was then the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Trump said that Stewart was “harshly and unfairly treated”
“She used to be my biggest fan in the world … before I became a politician,” he said.
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