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Blagojevich To Fight On

People
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich says in his first statement since entering prison that he'll ``fight on'' in the courts because ``what is at stake is nothing less than the rule of law.''
The Illinois Democrat's longtime public relations firm released the written statement Monday.

The 58-year-old says criteria used to convict him of corruption mean ``any politician can be jailed at the whim of an ambitious prosecutor.''

Blagojevich began serving a 14-year prison sentence in Colorado in 2012.

Jurors convicted him on 18 counts, including that he tried to sell President Barack Obama's former Senate seat. A three-judge appellate panel recently tossed five of those counts.

Monday's statement came as defense attorneys asked for a rehearing of his appeal. Blagojevich urged people to read his lawyers' arguments.
 

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