
Democrat Rod Blagojevich thanked Donald Trump after he walked out of prison Tuesday just hours after the president cut short the former Illinois governor's 14-year prison sentence for political corruption.

The Republican president said the punishment imposed on the Chicago Democrat and one-time contestant on Trump's reality TV show 'Celebrity Apprentice' was excessive.

'So he'll be able to go back home with his family,' Trump told reporters in Washington. 'That was a tremendously powerful, ridiculous sentence in my opinion and in the opinion of many others.'

Blagojevich was spotted arriving at the Denver International Airport Tuesday evening for his flight to Chicago where his family is waiting his return.

'It's been a long time. I'm profoundly grateful to President Trump and it's a profound and everlasting gratitude,' Blagojevich told a WGN9 reporter at the airport.

'He didn't have to do this. He's a Republican president and I was a Democratic governor,' Blagojevich added.

Blagojevich said he is a 'big fan' of Trump and even went as far as dubbing himself a 'Trumpocrat'.

He said he heard about his commutation when other inmates told him they saw it on the news,' he said, adding that he 'had no inkling it was coming'.

Blagojevich was seen arriving at the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago early Wednesday morning.

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Early Wednesday morning, Blagojevich (pictured) arrived at the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago after being released from prison on Tuesday

Blagojevich (center) was escorted to a vehicle shortly after his arrival in Chicago on Wednesday morning

Blagojevich is seen waving at supporters at the O'Hare International Airport following his release from prison on Tuesday

Blagojevich is seen signing a baseball after arriving at the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Wednesday morning

Blagojevich (center) speaks to the media Wednesday morning as he arrives at his home after being released from federal prison on Tuesday

He was seen signing a baseball for a supporter and waving at others who arrived to the airport to greet him.

A short time later, Blagojevich was seen speaking to reporters outside his Chicago home.

Blagojevich wouldn't say what plans he had for the future, however he did talk a bit about his time in prison.

"I've learned a lot about the criminal justice system, how unfair it can be, how unjust it is to people of color,' he said. 'I've drawn closer to God. There is divine intervention in all of this.'

The former governor told ABC-TV Chicago that his future plans are to 'turn evil into good'.

'I'm going to fight against the corrupt criminal justice system that all too often persecutes and prosecutes people who did nothing wrong, who over-sentences people, show no mercy, and who are in positions who have no accountability,' Blagojevich said.

'They can do whatever they want. They can put you into prison for things that aren't crimes.'

The 63-year-old was convicted in 2011 of crimes that included seeking to sell an appointment to Barack Obama's old Senate seat and trying to shake down a children's hospital.

Trump had said repeatedly in recent years that he was considering taking executive action in Blagojevich's case, only to back away from the idea.

One of Blagojevich lawyers said she refused to believe it at first when word of her client's possible release began to spread, fearing that the president might not follow through.

'When it became obvious it was real, I got tears in my eyes,' said Lauren Kaesberg. 'It was overwhelming.'

Others in Illinois, including the governor, said setting Blagojevich free was a mistake.

Blagojevich (right) was spotted arriving at the Denver International Airport Tuesday evening for his flight to Chicago

'It's been a long time. I'm profoundly grateful to President Trump and it's a profound and everlasting gratitude,' Blagojevich said

Blagojevich was later seen on a plane as he prepared to head home to his family Tuesday night

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,' Gov J.B. Pritzker said in a written statement. Many Republicans agreed.

'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 the chairman of the Illinois GOP, Tim Schneider.

Illinois House Republicans, Darin LaHood, Adam Kinzinger, Rodney Davis, Mike Bost and John Shimkus, also released a joint statement about Blagojevich's release.

'We are disappointed by the President’s commutation of Rod Blagojevich’s federal sentence. We believe he received an appropriate and fair sentence, which was the low-end of the federal sentencing guidelines for the gravity of his public corruption convictions,' the statement reads.

'Blagojevich is the face of public corruption in Illinois, and not once has he shown any remorse for his clear and documented record of egregious crimes that undermined the trust placed in him by voters.

'As our state continues to grapple with political corruption, we shouldn’t let those who breached the public trust off the hook. History will not judge Rod Blagojevich well.'

The White House cited support from several Illinois-based leaders, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, as supporting Blagojevich's early release. More than 100 of his fellow inmates also sent in letters of support.

Blagojevich (pictured in March 2012 before he went to prison), 63, was convicted in 2011 of crimes that included seeking to sell an appointment to Barack Obama's old Senate seat and trying to shake down a children's hospital

Blagojevich and his wife Patti are seen on June 27, 2011, leaving a courthouse following a guilty verdict in his corruption retrial in Chicago, Illinois

Trump had said repeatedly in recent years that he was considering taking executive action in Blagojevich's (pictured in prison in August 2019) case, only to back away from the idea

Blagojevich's wife, Patti, shared a statement on Facebook, saying that the family will hold a press conference Wednesday morning at their residence

Rod Blagojevich's crimes: Selling Obama's senate seat and shaking down a kids hospital for donations Blagojevich is seen in his 2008 mugshot On Tuesday, President Donald Trump commuted Rod Blagojevich's 14-year prison sentence, releasing the Democratic former governor of Illinois from federal prison after serving 11 years. In 2011, Blagojevich was convicted on 18 counts pertaining to three separate schemes; selling Obama's senate seat after he became president in 2008 when he was the Governor of Illinois; trying to shake down a children's hospital donations in exchange for state funding and a similar shakedown of a racetrack. He was found guilty on 11 counts related to peddling the Senate seat, six counts related to the shakedown of executives at a children's hospital and a race track, and one count of lying to the FBI. Five corruption counts pertaining to the Senate seat were overturned on appeal. The dramatic saga first unfolded on December 9, 2008, when federal agents stormed his home and arrested him. At the time, he was the Governor of Illinois. It emerged that federal agents, under the direction of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, had been investigating him for some four years, under the code name Operation Board Game. Just prior to the 2008 general elections, Fitzgerald obtained a court order to wiretap Blagojevich's phones — a fact that the governor was aware of after the arrest of his top fundraiser Tony Rezko on an indictment that named the governor as 'Public Official A.' '[I]f anybody wants to tape my conversations, go right ahead, feel free to do it. I appreciate anybody who wants to tape me openly and notoriously; and those who feel like they want to sneakily, and wear taping devices, I would remind them that it kind of smells like Nixon and Watergate,' Blagojevich proclaimed at a press conference on December 8, 2008. Rod Blagojevich and his wife Patti arrive at the federal courthouse during his second trial. He was ultimately convicted in connection with three schemes The following day, he was arrested. Tapes of his phone conversations revealed his brazen attempts to gain something through his power to appoint a replacement to Obama's Senate seat. Senate seat scheme Convicted of: Wire fraud, attempted extortion, conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit extortion Federal investigators captured Balgojevich repeatedly on phone calls discussing what he might be able to get in exchange for Obama's Senate seat. 'I've got this thing, and it's f**king golden. I'm just not giving it up for f**king nothing. It's a f**king valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing. If I don't get what I want ... I'll just take the Senate seat myself,' he said in one call. Prosecutors say that among the considerations Blagojevich sought in exchange for the Senate seat were a salary for himself at a non-profit, a corporate board seat for his wife, campaign cash, and an ambassador's post to Serbia. After his arrest but before he was impeached and removed from office, Blagojevich hastily appointed Roland Burris (above) to the vacant Senate seat After his arrest but before he was impeached and removed from office, Blagojevich hastily appointed Roland Burris to the vacant Senate seat, sparking uproar from some senators who insisted that Burris not be recognized as a legitimate. Burris was eventually seated in the Senate in January 2009. He decided not to seek reelection and was replaced in office in November 2010. Children's hospital shakedown for donations in exchange for state funding Convicted of: Wire fraud, attempted extortion, bribery In the summer of 2008, Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago was lobbying the state to increase reimbursement rates for pediatric care. Blagojevich was convicted of holding up $8 million in state funding in an effort to force the CEO of the children's hospital to hold a $25,000 fundraiser. The government's evidence included a voicemail from Blagojevich's brother Robert to the hospital's lobbyist. 'I know that you're gonna be following up with Children's Memorial and just wanted to know what the next steps are and what it is, kind of we're looking to accomplish there,' Robert Blagojevich said in the message. He said that he wanted to 'make sure I'm following up on you so you get it done' and that 'you know I'm jerking your chain but ah, I ah, I think they have a potential to do well by us.' At the time of Blagojevich's arrest, the reimbursement rates had not been set. Blagojevich and wife Patti give a statement after he is found guilty on 17 of 20 counts in his second corruption trial in 2011 Racetrack shakedown for donations in exchange for favorable legislation Convicted of: Wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit extortion In November 2008, the Illinois General Assembly had voted in favor of a bill that would extend a subsidy from Illinois casinos to horse-racing tracks. The bill was awaiting Blagojevich's signature when Maywood Park horse-racing track owner John Johnston sent work urging the governor to sign it. Prosecutors say that Blagojevich tried to get a $100,000 donation from Johnston in exchange for signing the legislation. Blagojevich's former chief of staff, Lon Monk, met Johnston at one of his racetracks and told him that Blagojevich was worried that Johnston would be 'skittish' about making a campaign donation once the bill was signed. 'I knew it. I knew it was something like that,' Johnson replied, according to court documents. Claiming he didn't know who donated to his campaign Convicted of: Lying to the FBI In Blagojevich's first trial, the jury was hung on all counts except for one, lying to the FBI. The lying charge stemmed from a March 16, 2005, interview when Blagojevich told FBI agents 'he did not track, or want to know, who contributed to him or how much money they contributed to him,' according to the FBI. Advertisement

Trump made clear that he saw similarities between efforts to investigate his own conduct and those who took down Blagojevich.

'It was a prosecution by the same people - Comey, Fitzpatrick, the same group,' Trump said.

He was referring to Patrick Fitzgerald, the former US attorney who prosecuted Blagojevich and now represents former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired from the agency in May 2017.

The Illinois House in January 2009 voted 114-1 to impeach Blagojevich, and the state Senate voted unanimously to remove him, making him the first Illinois governor in history to be removed by lawmakers. He entered prison in March 2012.

After exhausting his last appeal in 2018, Blagojevich seemed destined to remain behind bars until his projected 2024 release date.

His wife, Patti, went on a media blitz in 2018 to encourage Trump to step in, praising the president and likening the investigation of her husband to special prosecutor Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election - a probe Trump long characterized as a 'witch hunt'.

Trump said the punishment imposed on the Chicago Democrat and one-time contestant on Trump's reality TV show 'Celebrity Apprentice' was excessive

Blagojevich has been held at the Englewood Federal Correctional Institution in Englewood, Colorado

It was revealed on Tuesday that the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police sent a letter to Trump in January encouraging Blagojevich's release

At Blagojevich's home, his wife's sister, Deb Mell, emerged onto the porch after a rideshare driver arrived to deliver food. 'The kids are overjoyed and Patti's ecstatic,' Mell said.

Shortly after her husband's sentence was commuted, Patti took to Facebook to share that the family would be having a press conference Wednesday morning.

'Thank you to all my Facebook friends that have stuck with me and encouraged me over the last 8 years. At long last-Rod's coming home!!!!'

Blagojevich's conviction was notable, even in a state where four of the last 10 governors have gone to prison for corruption.

Judge James Zagel - who sentenced Blagojevich to the longest prison term yet for an Illinois politician - said when a governor 'goes bad, the fabric of Illinois is torn and disfigured.'

After his December 9, 2008, arrest while still governor, Blagojevich became known for his foul-mouthed rants on wiretaps.

On the most notorious recording, he gushed about profiting by naming someone to the seat Obama vacated to become president: 'I've got this thing and it's f**king golden. And I'm just not giving it up for f**king nothing.'

When Trump publicly broached the idea in May 2018 of intervening to free Blagojevich, he downplayed the former governor´s crimes.

He said Blagojevich was convicted for 'being stupid, saying things that every other politician, you know, that many other politicians say.' He said Blagojevich´s sentence was too harsh.

Prosecutors have balked at the notion long promoted by Blagojevich that he engaged in common political horse-trading and was a victim of an overzealous U.S. attorney.

At Blagojevich's home, his wife's sister, Deb Mell, emerged onto the porch after a rideshare driver arrived to deliver food. 'The kids are overjoyed and Patti's ecstatic,' Mell (pictured) said

Mell (right) escorts her niece Anne, Blagojevich's daughter, into their home after her day at school on Tuesday

Ziff Sistrunk of Chicago places a sign of support in front of the home of Patti Blagojevich in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago on Tuesday

After Blagojevich's arrest, Fitzgerald said the governor had gone on 'a political corruption crime spree' that would make Abraham Lincoln turn over in his grave.

A joint statement from Fitzgerald and the lead prosecutors at Blagojevich's trial, none of whom work in the US Attorney's Office in Chicago anymore, stopped short of criticizing Trump's decision.

But they highlighted the convictions, including for trying to shake down the children's hospital, saying: 'Mr Blagojevich remains a felon.'

Blagojevich's (mug shot) first trial ended with the jury unable to reach a verdict, except for a single conviction, for lying to the FBI. At his second trial in 2011, he testified, describing himself as a flawed dreamer grounded in his parents' working-class values

Mueller - a subject of Trump's derision - was FBI director during the investigation into Blagojevich. Fitzgerald is now a private attorney for Comey, whom Trump dismissed from the agency in May 2017.

Trump expressed some sympathy for Blagojevich when he appeared on 'Celebrity Apprentice' in 2010, before his first corruption trial started.

When Trump 'fired' Blagojevich as a contestant, he praised him for how he was fighting his criminal case, telling him: 'You have a hell of a lot of guts.'

He later poll-tested the matter, asking for a show of hands of those who supported clemency at an October 2019 fundraiser at his Chicago hotel.

Most of the 200 to 300 attendees raised their hands, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing several people at the event.

On the same day, Trump told Chicago television station WLS that Blagojevich should not abandon hope of an early release.

'No, he should not at all give up hope, at all,' Trump said. 'We are looking at it.'

Blagojevich's first trial ended with the jury unable to reach a verdict, except for a single conviction, for lying to the FBI.

At his second trial in 2011, Blagojevich testified, describing himself as a flawed dreamer grounded in his parents' working-class values.

He sought to humanize himself to counteract the seemingly greedy governor heard on wiretap recordings played in court.

He said the hours of FBI recordings were the ramblings of a politician who liked to think out loud.

Blagojevich appeared on Season 9 of Trump's reality TV show 'Celebrity Apprentice' in 2010

After Blagojevich was released he referred to himself as a Trumpocrat. He's pictured with Trump in 2010

Blagojevich was convicted on 18 counts. The 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago in 2015 tossed out five of the convictions, including ones in which he offered to appoint someone to a high-paying job in the Senate.

The appeals court ordered the trial judge to re-sentence Blagojevich but suggested it would be appropriate to hand him the same sentence, given the gravity of the crimes.

Blagojevich appeared via live video from prison during the 2016 re-sentencing and asked for leniency.

The judge gave him the same 14-year term, saying it was below federal guidelines when he imposed it the first time.

Trump also granted clemency to financier Michael Milken.

Milken served two years in prison in the early 1990s after pleading guilty to violating US securities laws, and pardoned former New York Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik, who served just over three years for tax fraud and lying to the White House while being interviewed to be Homeland Security secretary.