Blagojevich denounces ‘hijacking,’ vows to fight on

Deposed former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich believes the truth will set him free — free of serving jail time on corruption charges, free of continuing to be the butt of jokes from talk show hosts and political pundits.

Speaking exclusively to Meredith Vieira live on TODAY Tuesday, the ousted politico — sent packing by the Illinois State Senate in a unanimous vote last week — said he believes his likely trial on federal corruption charges will have a happier ending than the impeachment vote.

“This is America, and I still believe this is a place where, as it’s written in the Bible, the truth will set you free,” Blagojevich told Vieira. “I’m clinging to the truth, embracing the truth. I’ll ride the truth, and I’ll clear my name.”

Defiant and testy
Certainly, what Blagojevich regards as truth is a far different thing than what federal prosecutors believe. The six-year governor was arrested by FBI agents at his home on Dec. 9. He stands accused of trying to peddle President Barack Obama’s vacated Illinois U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder, and also of making backroom deals in which he took political-campaign cash kickbacks in exchange for public funding.

The fiery 52-year-old was defiant on TODAY, using his machine-gun delivery to make a case for what he believes was political martyrdom. In an interview earlier in January with TODAY’s Amy Robach, he compared his plight to that of Dr. Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Mohandas Gandhi.

During a somewhat testy interview, Vieira repeatedly broke into Blagojevich’s long statements, in which he claimed he was railroaded out of office by his state’s senate. He told Vieira his ouster as governor was “a hijacking by a legislature that removed a governor and prevented that governor from proving his innocence by denying me the right to bring witnesses in.”

Blagojevich had repeatedly said he wouldn’t attend his impeachment trial. But in a reversal, he attended the fourth and final day of the trial and made an impassioned speech saying he “never, ever intended to violate the law.”

Indictment ahead
Vieira asked Blagojevich, “What does that mean, ‘I never intended’? You either did it or you didn’t do it.”

Blagojevich replied, “I think it speaks for itself. I did not intend to commit any criminal act; I’m not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing. I’m eager to have my day in court to prove my innocence.”

Video   What’s next for Blagojevich? Feb. 3: TODAY’s Natalie Morales takes a look back at former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment last week -- and looks at what’s next for him. Today show

That day will likely come soon: Blagojevich is expected to be indicted in April. U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald says his office is sifting through thousands of intercepted phone calls between the former governor and other politicians. In one that will likely hang over Blagojevich’s head for eternity, he said that Obama’s vacated Senate seat was “a [bleeping] valuable thing. You just don’t give it away for nothing.”

A trial would likely have an all-star list of witnesses, including White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel and U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Harry Reid. Blagojevich says he welcomes their testimony, because he couldn’t call them as witnesses in his impeachment trial.

“I want everybody and anybody that I talked to about the Senate seat to tell the truth, and to say it under oath,” he told Vieira. “When the whole context is heard, I think you’ll see there’s a whole different situation.”

In his interview with Vieira, Blagojevich repeatedly said his ouster as governor “did a disservice to the people.” Vieira questioned why those people gave him a favorability rating that hovered around a lowly 13 percent.

He responded: “I’ve never lost an election. Every election I’ve stood for I won.” And he accused Illinois lawmakers of trying to make backroom deals of their own with him.

“I was offered the chance to stay on as an incapacitated governor, keep my pay for two years, keep my security detail for two years,” he told Vieira. “But don’t make the Senate pick. I rejected that. I wouldn’t let them buy me off.”

Blagojevich did indeed nominate former Illinois Attorney General Raymond Burris to fill Obama’s seat, and after some heated debate over the propriety of having a criminally charged governor make the pick, Burris was eventually seated in the U.S. Senate.

Unemployed but unbowed
Blagojevich’s political future has hit a dead end, however. He is now barred from any future public office in the state of Illinois.

Slideshow   Blagojevich’s rise and fall A look at former governor Rod Blagojevich’s career. more photos

It’s made for troubling times in the Blagojevich household, which includes wife Patricia and young daughters Amy and Annie. Not only is the former governor now out of a job, his wife was recently dismissed from her $100,000-a-year post as development director with the Chicago Christian Industrial League.

“It’s a period of adjustment for us,” Blagojevich told Vieira. “But you know what? I’m not asking for any sympathy. There are tens of thousands of Americans who are losing their jobs every single day. I just happen to be among the ranks.

“In many ways, I’ve been very blessed. I’ve had a chance to be governor of a big state, give all of our kids health care, give all of our senior citizens free public transportation, give all uninsured women mammograms and Pap smears so they could save their lives.”

While folks have had a field day making light of Blagojevich’s plight (“The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart famously called him “Scumdog Million-Hairs”), Blagojevich says he is keeping his dignity intact.

“I don’t view myself at all as being shamed or disgraced,” he said.

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