Disgraced ex-con and Democratic former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Sunday urged voters to cast ballots for Republicans, griping that socialists such as Zohran Mamdani have “hijacked’’ the Dem Party.
Blagojevich — who was convicted of selling to the highest bidder the Senate seat that Barack Obama vacated after his 2008 presidential election — seethed to the “Cats Roundtable” radio program, “It’s not the Democratic Party anymore.
“It’s a socialist party,” said the ex-gov, now a self-described “Trump-O-Crat,” while discussing his new book, “Framed, F*cked, and Freed: A Governor’s Odyssey” on the 770 WABC program.
“The Democratic Party has been hijacked by socialists and communists who hate America. If you want Mamdamis all across America, then stay home and allow the Democrats to win the midterm elections,” he said of New York City’s far-left mayor.
“But if you want to make our country great again, and protect it from people who would destroy our country, then get out there and vote” for Republicans, Blagojevich told host John Catsimatidis.
President Trump commuted Blagojevich’s 14-year prison sentence for political corruption in 2020.
Blago, as he’s known in political circles, blamed Obama, who he said is on the “socialist side”, for his misfortune.
The ex-governor said it was an emissary of Obama’s who approached him about who should fill his outgoing senator’s seat.
“None of it would have happened if [Obama] didn’t send someone to meet [me] to make a political deal, which was criminalized in my case,” Blagojevich said. “Obama should have stood up for the rule of law – not so much for me – but for the rule of law and the Constitution. But he didn’t.
“He made a very cynical, political deal to protect himself. He spent eight years in the White House. I spent eight years in the big house. I laugh about it now, but you’d have to say … that Obama had a better eight years than me.
“None of it would’ve happened had Obama not approached me to make the political deal that was criminalized against me – which wasn’t a crime.”
Obama has insisted he never discussed any pay-to-play with Blago regarding the Illinois Senate seat he vacated for the presidency.
“I have not discussed the Senate seat with the governor at any time,” Obama said in 2008 when asked about Blagojevich.
Blagojevich was captured on FBI wiretaps saying, “I’ve got this thing, and it’s [expletive] golden, and I’m just not giving [the appointment to the Senate seat] up for [expletive] nothing. I’m not gonna do it.”
Blagojevich said his book is much more complimentary to Trump, whom he considers a better president for the working class because of tax cuts on tips and overtime.
Host Catsimatidis was trying to rehabilitate Blagojevich by suggesting he run for mayor of Chicago.
