“It’s something I would love to see — for his children, for his family,” Mr. Adam said in 2018. “He got to know him and Donald Trump was someone who was fond of him. We got so much heat for letting him go out and do that stuff back then. How ironic if that turns out to be his saving grace.”

As months passed with no commutation, his family kept pressing the case. Mr. Blagojevich’s wife, Patti, made frequent appearances on Fox News, appealing to the president for mercy and criticizing how federal prosecutors handled the case.

“That Obama Justice Department locked him up and threw away the key,” Ms. Blagojevich said last year on Fox. She added that Mr. Trump’s public consideration of the case gave her “a tremendous amount of hope.”

Deb Mell, who is Mr. Blagojevich’s sister-in-law, said on Tuesday that the family was thrilled with the news. Family members declined to speak in detail, but they scheduled a news conference for Wednesday morning. It was set for the same location — outside Mr. Blagojevich’s Chicago home — where he had appeared in 2012 on the day he left for prison.

How is this playing back home?

If the rest of the world has forgotten about Rod Blagojevich, Illinois has not. Some political leaders — Democrats and Republicans — had sharp critiques of President Trump’s decision to commute the former governor’s sentence.

“In a state where corrupt, machine-style politics is still all too common, it’s important that those found guilty serve their prison sentence in its entirety,” said Tim Schneider, the chairman of the state’s Republican Party. “Rod Blagojevich is certainly no exception. The former governor’s proven record of corruption is a stain upon Illinois and its citizens. We must stand up and send the message that corruption will not be tolerated in Illinois.”

And Republican members of the congressional delegation from the state said they were disappointed by the decision.