SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) released the following statement in response to President Trump commuting ex-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s sentence:

“I’m deeply disappointed by President Trump’s move to commute the sentence of Rod Blagojevich. Illinois’ troubling history of corruption is no secret, and Mr. Blagojevich’s attempt to sell a U.S. Senate seat is the epitome of corruption. The president’s own Republican advisors have warned him that Mr. Blagojevich is guilty of corruption, which the president vowed to fight once in office. His actions today are simply incomprehensible. Illinois has a long way to go to clean up its act, and we can start by passing my new package of ethics reform legislation.”

The package of legislation contains three bills: Senate Bills 2488, 1426, and 74. Each targets a different loophole in the ethics code and would give more investigative power to the Legislative Inspector General.