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Rod Blagojevich Declares 'I'm a Trump-ocrat' at ‘Homecoming’ News Conference After Prison Release — Transcript

by Bloomberg News · 3,070 words · 436 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:02Oh
0:18[Music]
0:47Jurnee
0:48brews that I'm better than bloody it's
0:52been a long time since I've shaved with
0:53a normal razor and it takes a little
0:57practice sorry about that I got to keep
0:59dabbing this blood sides apologize first
1:04tardiness
1:04you couldn't find where I put his socks
1:06this morning lots changed in the nearly
1:09eight years that I have been here let me
1:12just say a couple of things first of all
1:13the obvious I want to state and I know I
1:16speak for Patty and Amy and Annie and
1:18obviously for me we want to express our
1:21most profound and everlasting gratitude
1:23to President Trump how do you properly
1:25thank someone who's given you back the
1:27freedom that was stolen from you he
1:29didn't have to do this he's a Republican
1:32president I was a Democratic governor
1:34and doing this there's nothing to help
1:36his politics President Trump is a man
1:39who is tough and outspoken but he also
1:42has a kind heart and this is an act of
1:45kindness and I also believe it's the
1:47beginning of the process to to actually
1:50turn an injustice into a justice sorry
1:56about this blood
1:58all these years away I never stopped
2:02reminding myself of the words from a
2:04poem it's called the gate of the year go
2:08out into the darkness and put your hand
2:10into the hand of God that shall be to
2:14you better than light and safer than a
2:17known way it's been a long time since
2:20I've been home nearly eight years nearly
2:223,000 days I suppose a better way to
2:26measure how long it's been is to our
2:29daughters a me and Annie when I left
2:31home so long ago Amy our older daughter
2:35was a sophomore in high school and it'll
2:39be two years this spring since she's
2:42graduated from college and now just
2:43recently Amy earned a master's degree
2:46and we're very proud of you sweetheart
2:48and Annie our younger daughter was 8
2:51years old when I left she was about this
2:52high
2:53now she's 16 and now she has her
2:55driver's license and she's doing good in
2:57school
2:58and she plays the piano and we're very
3:01proud of her too look at you sweetheart
3:04look at you my baby's growing up so fast
3:09again on behalf of my family we want to
3:13express our profound his gratitude to
3:14President Trump it's been a long unhappy
3:17journeys he's have been hard years for
3:19our children they've been hard years for
3:21Patti and for me I spent my first 32
3:24months in prison nearly three years
3:26behind what the inmates called a razor
3:29wire the barbed wire fence you can't go
3:32near that fence if you do there are
3:35prison guards there armed with machine
3:36guns who have the discretion to shoot
3:39you I didn't go near that fence
3:43the buildings behind that fence where
3:45the inmates live in sleep are squalid
3:48places they're cold and dark like tombs
3:50they were about nine hundred inmates
3:53they're drug dealers cartel members
3:56gangbangers bank robbers that were men
3:59they were committed murder con artists a
4:01lot of sex offenders about two percent
4:04of the population when the so called
4:05white-collar category for most of my
4:08time there my home was a six foot by 12
4:13foot a six foot by eight foot prison
4:15cell with four cement walls a big heavy
4:17iron door that can shut you in a small
4:21window with bars on it and a bunk bed I
4:23slept on the top bunk often late at
4:27night I would look through that window
4:28and pass those bars out into the night
4:31sky
4:32and I think of home I think of my
4:35children I think of Patti sometimes
4:40sometimes I could almost feel her near
4:42me I was I would say to myself one day
4:50one day I'll make it back to you and
4:54hold your hand sweetheart and I would
4:57remember what a gracious thing it's been
4:59to walk through life with you yeah
5:09anyway so I'm again on behalf of Patti
5:14and Amy and Annie and me we want to
5:15again express our our deepest gratitude
5:17the President Trump like I said as a
5:20Republican president and a Democratic
5:22governor he didn't have to do this but
5:24President Trump is not a typical
5:25politicians right he's tough he's
5:28outspoken he gets things done he's a
5:30problem solver in a business where too
5:33many politicians don't want to solve
5:34problems all they want to do is play
5:36politics and get nothing done for the
5:38people
5:40he's got a I'm a trumpet crap the
5:43trouble presents right if I have ability
5:46to vote for him well I don't know that
5:49I'd allow me to vote but her but I'll
5:51get into that in a minute but let me
5:53just say that our president is uh he's
5:59tough and outspoken and he has the
6:00courage to challenge the old way he's
6:03the one who's actually fighting to bring
6:05real change that's why he gets so much
6:06pushback but now we're standing being
6:09tough he's also a man with a kind heart
6:11he sees wrong and he tries to ride it
6:13just like he did in the case of Alice
6:15Marie Johnson you know who she is the
6:17grandmother from Alabama who served 21
6:19years in prison on a life sentence as a
6:22first-time nonviolent drug offender a
6:25life sentence as a first-time nonviolent
6:28drug offender Alice Marie Johnson's case
6:32is probably one of the better
6:33illustrations that shows how the federal
6:36criminal justice system
6:37disproportionally discriminates against
6:39african-americans and people of color
6:42and how the 1994 crime bill has led to
6:45the over sentencing and to the creation
6:47of what the author Michelle Alexander
6:49has called the new Jim Crow in America
6:52don't know what I'm talking about right
6:54dr. Clinton's 1994 crime bill passed by
6:57my fellow Democrats before I got to
6:59Congress fortunately as soon as
7:02president Trump learned of the injustice
7:04against Alice Murray he immediately put
7:06a stop to it and he sent her home to her
7:08family and fortunately because this is a
7:10president who gets things done through
7:12his leadership and with the help of
7:13organizations like cut 50 president
7:16Trump was able to build a necessary
7:18bipartisan support to pass the historic
7:21first step back a new law that begins
7:23the process of reforming a broken
7:26criminal justice system and putting it
7:28in to the racist injustice caused by
7:30that racist 1994 crime bill now ask for
7:34me obviously I've got 10,000 reasons to
7:38be thankful to president Trump I'm
7:39obviously thankful to be home to have my
7:41freedom back to just be able to hold my
7:44wife's hand but most of all I'm thankful
7:47to you mr. president for giving my
7:49daughters their father back
7:51my daughters are growing up and the day
7:54is not too far off when they will go out
7:55into the world on their own now I wish I
7:59could slow down time but no matter where
8:01their life's journey may lead they will
8:03always take with them the realization
8:05that the kindest gift they've ever
8:07received in their lives came from you
8:10Thank You mr. president for what you've
8:12done for me but better far far better
8:14thank you for what you've done for them
8:16I'd like to thank a few people real
8:19quick I'd like to thank my old friend
8:21the Reverend Jesse Jackson for his voice
8:24and for his help and for his support I
8:25want to thank my friend and former
8:29colleague in the Congress congressman
8:30Jesse Jackson jr. for his friendship and
8:33his support I want to thank Patty's dad
8:34for alderman Mel Richard Mel for his
8:37love and support to our daughters and to
8:40his daughter patty I want to thank this
8:42mystery man a young man who brought all
8:45this about I just met him yesterday and
8:47this is Mark Vargas he's quite a guy and
8:51he's he's the kind of guy who can get
8:54you out of prison if you find yourself
8:56stuck there and I'm really grateful to
8:58his efforts and what he's done on my
9:00behalf sorry
9:06sorry yeah one second my friend the
9:12Scriptures teach us and history shows
9:14that in the long run right defeated will
9:17in the end overcome history the
9:22Scriptures teaches the history shows
9:24that in the long run right defeated will
9:26in the end overcome wrong triumphant and
9:28as dr. Martin Luther King used to say
9:31truth crushed to earth will one day rise
9:33again because no lie can live forever
9:35I'm returning home today from a long
9:38exile
9:38a freed political prisoner I want to say
9:42again to the people of Illinois who
9:43twice elected me governor I didn't let
9:46you down I would have let you down if I
9:48gave into this but resistance to tyrants
9:52is but his obedience to God not long ago
9:55United States Supreme Court Justice
9:57Stephen Breyer warned about this he
9:59warned about federal prosecutors
10:01bringing criminal charges against
10:02government officials for what he
10:04described as routine practices Justice
10:08Breyer went on to point out and I'm
10:09quoting him to give that kind of power
10:11to a criminal prosecutor who is
10:13virtually uncontrollable is dangerous to
10:16our separation of powers and quote I
10:19learned the hard way just how dangerous
10:21that is from beginning to end this was
10:23persecution masquerading his prosecution
10:27I got into politics to help people I
10:30didn't get into politics to make money I
10:33didn't get an apology to rich my family
10:34or my friends I got into politics
10:36because I was fortunate to live in the
10:38greatest country that's ever existed my
10:41immigrant father fought the Nazis he
10:43spent four years in a prisoner of war
10:44camp after that war II spent three years
10:46in a refugee camp waiting for the day
10:49that one day the Congress that one day
10:51his youngest son would become a member
10:52of will passed a law called the
10:54displaced persons Act to allow him and
10:56millions of others like him immigrants
10:57from all around the world with long and
10:59hard to pronounce last names to be able
11:02to come to America to pursue freedom and
11:04opportunity my dad basically did about
11:06seven years in prison I got him beat
11:10I've done almost eight but my dad
11:12believed in America he took the gift of
11:14freedom not for granted because he knew
11:16what it was like to live under
11:17oppression
11:18he didn't go back to his country
11:19Yugoslavia because it was a communist
11:21country where freedom wasn't allowed so
11:23he came here and he got a job working in
11:26a factory and for most of his life all
11:28of his life in the United States my dad
11:30was a working man a factory worker and
11:32my mother was a working mother who
11:34worked for the Chicago Transit Authority
11:35passing out the transfers at the subway
11:37stations they never had a chance to live
11:40the American dream and older owned a
11:41home of their own but they worked hard
11:44and sacrificed so that their kids can
11:45have opportunities they didn't have this
11:47is the American story and my mother and
11:50father lived that and so I'd like to
11:55think that as governor what I did was to
11:58try to draw in my own life experience
12:00and try to take those experiences and
12:02turn them into something real to help
12:04people that's why we provided health
12:06care to all the kids in Illinois through
12:08the all kids program because I saw as a
12:10young child a cousin passed away from
12:13leukemia at the age of 12 and didn't
12:15have insurance and his mother and father
12:17lost what little they had we provided
12:20free transportation every one of our
12:21senior citizens are they disabled
12:23because I remember my father as a senior
12:26citizen being part of a senior citizen
12:27discount card he had where he could take
12:29the bus for half the price and we were
12:31able to take that and apply that to
12:33everybody in the state of Illinois I
12:34wouldn't allow that swamp in Springfield
12:37and my fellow Democrats down there who
12:39just wanted to raise taxes on the
12:40working people to raise their taxes and
12:42so it was always a struggle a constant
12:45battle to try to remember who I was
12:48supposed to fight for and so I hope now
12:51looking to the future that I can draw
12:53from my life experience particularly
12:55those over the last eight years in
12:57prison and eleven years since this all
12:59came to us and do something to try to
13:03fight to help people who've been
13:04wrongfully incarcerated or those and
13:06this is probably the rule and not the
13:08exception those who have been over
13:10sentenced nonviolent offenders who made
13:13a mistake did wrong but have been
13:15sentenced that years in prison that not
13:17only destroy their lives and steal from
13:19them their futures but they hurt their
13:21children their family I saw what they do
13:23to families because I saw it happen in
13:25my own and every time I go into the
13:27visiting room to visit
13:28my family I'd look around that room and
13:30I'd see mothers with their children and
13:32you can tell it was a mother because you
13:34can see it in the sadness of her face I
13:36would see father's with their young
13:38children and you can see the the
13:42discomfort that the family feels so I
13:46hope that as I move forward I can take
13:48some of that experience that I've had
13:49and try to do what I can to try to
13:52improve what is a broken and I believe
13:54in many cases a corrupt criminal justice
13:56system when it comes to crime and
13:58punishment in America the United States
14:00and carcere rates six to ten times more
14:03people than any other industrialized
14:04nation in the world we put more people
14:07in jail than China and Russia
14:09federal prosecutors like to boast about
14:11their 97 percent conviction rate but
14:14doesn't that both show just how rigged
14:16the system is unless you're the
14:18undefeated boxing champion Floyd money
14:20Mayweather who else ever wins 97 percent
14:23of the time at anything for money
14:31Mayweather has not been defeated
14:32don't say that daddy you probably get a
14:34phone call from everyday people every
14:39day people who who find themselves
14:40caught up in the system have no chance
14:42and they many of them recognize the
14:44futility in fighting for their rights so
14:46they just give in and under duress
14:48because they're being threatened with
14:49long sentences they agree to plead
14:51guilty to things they didn't do unfair
14:54unfair and cruel over sentencing is the
14:56rule it's not the exception equal
14:58protection under the law doesn't exist
15:00wildly unfair disparities in sentencing
15:03for the same or similar offenses are not
15:05uncommon and defy common sense and in
15:07way too many cases way too many
15:10nonviolent offenders are given way
15:12longer prison sentences than violent
15:15offenders and sex offenders who've
15:17actually caused great physical and
15:18emotional harm to their victims it is a
15:22broken criminal justice system and it
15:24has been for a long time and it's a
15:26racist criminal justice system but
15:29there's hope and one of the great
15:30ironies of history is that so far up
15:32till now in the history our country no
15:35one has done more or it's currently
15:36working to do more to fix this broken
15:38and races criminal justice system
15:41president trunk and jarred cushions
15:43right one last thing I'm gonna dab this
15:47blood again am I good all right I just
15:51feel them on me I'd like to say one
15:54thing about I'd like to say something
15:55about diversity yeah and I'd like to
15:57direct my remarks to all of my fellow
16:00underdogs out there who find themselves
16:01up against powerful forces and long odds
16:04to anyone facing hard circumstances
16:08who've suffered loss I hurt him or who
16:12like me I've hit rock bottom you may be
16:15down all your hope may seem to have
16:18disappeared the road you have to travel
16:20is a long one at home that's where you
16:22want to be it's so far away you can't
16:26even see the flicker of a light at the
16:29end of the tunnel but don't give up
16:31don't give up think of the people you
16:34love
16:40I'll get it out hang on think of the
16:43people you love that's where you'll find
16:45your purpose
16:45my love for my family and my faith in
16:49God is what sustained me during this
16:51long and seemingly never-ending trial it
16:54gave me purpose to stay strong and along
16:56with Patti to try to set the right
16:58example for our daughters to show them
17:01that when adversity enters your life
17:03even when your calamity comes on like a
17:06whirlwind and just about everything just
17:09about everything has been taken away
17:12from you and your hearts broken don't
17:16quit fight fight keep fighting and
17:20persevere in storms and through the dark
17:23passages and when you find yourself
17:25alone all alone in the lonely wilderness
17:28because it is there in that lonely
17:30wilderness where we are tried and tested
17:33that we must rise to our circumstances
17:36we must rise above our circumstances and
17:38dare to dream it is not an ending but a
17:41beginning or out of weakness we are made
17:44strong every mile I ran every push up I
17:47did every book I read every word I wrote
17:50was my way of fighting back my way of
17:52using the time in the wilderness to
17:54prepare for a better day waiting in the
17:56shadows waiting for justice
17:59waiting and hoping so living faith hope
18:03and love the vehicle and fate yes baron
18:05de amor and if you have to take a stand
18:08and don't be afraid you're not alone you
18:12never go alone it is so often the case
18:15that in the sadness of life we look for
18:19God my faith in Him
18:23turn despair into hope it made me strong
18:27trusting that one day through the grace
18:29of God he will turn darkness into light
18:32and lead me home thank you okay here's
18:54my room it's actually quite amazing
19:11who like fake game of Firehouse Subs at
19:14the Air Force Base most people by the
19:17way could not have been more nice and
19:20accommodating and helpful and upbeat and
19:23really really were amazing

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