type: timeline_event
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested at Blagojevich's home on December 9, 2008, on federal corruption charges including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. A 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. In one recording from 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 large campaign contributions. He also discussed leveraging his appointment power 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 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 — on whose reality show "The Apprentice" Blagojevich had appeared — commuted his sentence in February 2020 after he had served nearly eight years, and fully pardoned him in 2025. The case became one of the most infamous examples of gubernatorial corruption in modern American political history.