Durbin: Blago woes keep George Ryan in prison

Barring a last minute commutation by President Bush--which is unlikely because many people remember the stench left behind by Bill Clinton on his last day in office when he unloaded a bunch of questionable pardon and commutations--former Illinois Governor George H. Ryan will wake up in his prison cell on January 21.

The Kankakee Republican is in the second year of a six year prison sentence.

Shortly after winning re-election in November, Durbin bravely (sarcasm off) called for Bush to commute Ryan's sentence. Ryan was convicted on various corruption charges in 2007.

But on December 9, Ryan's successor, who declared in his first inaugural address that he would "govern as a reformer," was arrested.

The Bloomington Pantagraph has more:

At an event Monday at the Library of Congress, Durbin said he talked to a top Bush aide several weeks ago about commuting Ryan's prison sentence.

He was told, however, that freeing Ryan likely wouldn't happen in light of the corruption allegations facing Blagojevich.

Asked if Bush would issue a commutation in the waning hours of his administration, Durbin said, "I think it's highly unlikely."

Since a lot of people visit this blog who live outside of Illinois, I have to mention again that unlike most American political scandals, the Ryan case has a death toll.

Technorati tags: politics Blagojevich illinois Democrats Illinois Politics Durbin George Ryan Republican Bush