>> Illinois knows a thing or 2 about corrupt politicians.

As we just mentioned, the jury deliberating the corruption case of former House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Still hasn't reached a verdict, but some politicians despite charges or convictions can get a second chance on Monday.

President Trump granted a full pardon to former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and the U.S. Department of Justice has dropped fraud charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Here to talk more about this is David Melton, a board member for Reform, Illinois.

That's a nonpartisan research and advocacy organization for Public Participation in Government.

David, thanks for joining Thank you for having So as we mentioned, President Trump commuting Blagojevich's sentence and now has granted him a full pardon.

That commutation, of course, was about 5 years ago calling his sentence, quote, a terrible injustice.

What message does a pardon like this?

it sends a message to corrupt politicians all over the country that they're free to belly back up to the bar.

It's not only the the pardon Blagojevich.

You have to couple that with the Eric Adams dropping a prosecution with the firing of a inspector general and the government and with the assertion of a the terminal powers by President Trump.

And first executive orders issued.

>> What what does this say about about the Trump administration and health plans to do business?

>> it says Trump administration Open to the way business was In the middle of the 19th century.

When a political hires dominated government.

We had no civil service and bribes were way of life.

That was a lot of of all sorts it appears, unfortunately, that we're headed back towards era.

>> In Illinois, as we just said, as we know, has a long history of political corruption.

Does, you know, does granting clemency or pardons to to figures who have been convicted in U.S. were state court of law?

Is that challenge the public's trust?

>> I certainly do think up a challenge is a public trust.

I think it it actually is a little more destructive than that.

I would say that the blanket pardons for the January 6th.

Rioters sent the message to politicians, particularly in federal government that they crossed Trump.

He threaten them with with extra judicial violence and actions from my people like the people who rioted on January doesn't invalidate the work of the courts and the and the justice system.

Well, that remains to be seen as too harsh.

>> How strong the courts will be as a check on the president.

Ultimately how or and weeding out corruption.

But those cases have yet to go up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

And unfortunately, this court.

At least 4 members, if not a majority of this court of certain amount of sympathy for the view that the president is a king what official except a pardon cannot be challenged.

The president has the power to pardon whoever he chooses is what Trump is doing so different from what former other previous presidents have done.

>> I would say many presidents have engage in some abuses of the pardon power.

>> But what President Trump has done raises it to a new level.

And I think you're right that the Constitution does not place any limits on the pardon power courts and the legislature not seen fit to try and rein in that constitutional power in a way.

That's an issue that we will probably have to address if.

bringing that likely event that the rest of the government does not become irrelevant because we turn into a dictatorship or a So in New York City Mayor Eric Adams, he's been accused of accepting over $100,000 worth of gifts from Turkish citizens.

Our own Mayor Brandon Johnson has been >> criticized for accepting gifts.

Why is this such a concern?

Well, it's the when college small-scale That's what's been going on in all those cases.

That's why we have restrictions on the kinds of gifts that public elected officials generally can accept.

>> just below is global.

That's what the same kind of clear, no issues that we have with Justice Thomas on the Supreme Court.

>> Where if any other federal judges taking those kinds of gifts they would they would be off the bench.

>> President Trump has put a pause on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

First.

Explain for us what that is and why the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act was adopted in the 1970's in the wake of disclosures that many large U.S. companies had paid bribes to get business abroad.

There was a debate about whether we should allow U.S. companies to engage in bribery of government officials.

You know, the country's and the argument was, well, all right.

Bree is common in some countries and therefore, in order to effectively do business, we need to be able to bribe people.

That argument was rejected by Congress when it passed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act which prohibits American companies from engaging in bribery in foreign countries.

And also there were also distortions in the financial statements.

But those public companies filed in the U.S. test result trying to cover up those parts.

>> What role should should state attorneys general, including Illinois Attorney General Carrera, will play in holding politicians accountable accountable when federal oversight is no longer enough.

>> I State attorney general should play a much heightened role.

And I think you're seeing that happen now with the 45 or so lawsuits have been filed many by coalitions of the Democratic attorney generals around the country challenging.

And Trump executive orders, I think that it would be good for.

Illinois attorney General's office Focus a little more on corruption.

And they have historically historically we've relied on the U.S. Attorney's office year in the Northern District of Illinois.

But that's now open to question as to how effective they will be.

Given the Trump administration's.

Willingness tolerate how high or levels of corruption at the same time, there may be a temptation to.

Abuse some of the powers of the attorney of the U.S. attorney here because the Trump administration does not like Illinois's Sanctuary City policies and is filed litigation challenging them.

>> Do think we're seeing any meaningful reforms is corruption so deeply embedded in the system.

>> I think we have seen meaningful.

if you look over the 250 year history of our country, we've seen meaningful improvements.

reducing level of corruption generally in our government, things like Civil Service things like the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and so on.

in the short term, I have confess that I'm not optimistic.

>> Okay.

All right.

Well, it's not the 19th century, as you