Blagojevich Heads To Colorado Jail To Begin 14-Year Sentence
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Former Governor Rod Blagojevich, pictured here in 2010. (Flickr/Creative Commons)
Among those charges were allegations that he tried to profit from replacing Barack Obama when he left his position on the senate.
CNN reported from Chicago as crowds gathered to see off Blagojevich.
From the report:
Blagojevich called his impending prison stint a "dark and hard journey," and said he should have been more humble.
"We are so grateful and will never ever forget your kindness to us," he told the crowd, which occasionally chanted slogans such as "Free our Governor."
His wife, Patti, remained cinched under his arm, squeezing back tears as the former governor spoke outside his Chicago home.
"This, as bad as it is, is part of a long and hard journey that will only get worse before it gets better," Blagojevich said, telling his wife that he loved her.
A spokesman said the former governor wouldn't have missed an opportunity to say goodbye by sneaking out of Chicago before his incarceration, which is expected to begin Thursday.
But as CNN points out, that walk-tall attitude has been absent in statements past.
The report continues:
Blagojevich's past statements have been noteworthy for their bluster, such as a defiant news conference in April 2010 when he called his accusers "liars" and "cowards" and directly challenged a prosecutor.
Blagojevich also accused U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of hiding taped evidence that would prove his innocence during that news conference.
"I challenge Mr. Fitzgerald... Why don't you show up in court tomorrow and explain to everybody, explain to the whole world why you don't want the tapes that you made played in court?" Blagojevich said to reporters at the time.
"I'll be in court tomorrow. I hope you're man enough to show up," he added, referring to Fitzgerald.
But despite that posturing, Blagojevich declined to testify in his own defense at any point during the three-year legal ordeal.
