State Rep. Jehan Gordon (D-Peoria) issued the following statement after the sentencing of former Governor Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday:

“Today, Judge James Zagel sentenced former Governor Rod Blagojevich to 14 years in prison, a sentence that sends the message that corruption in government is not in the least bit tolerable. What we saw today was that, despite Blagojevich’s blatant disregard for the laws of Illinois and the United States, our legal system works and that no one, regardless of their position, is above the law.

“My first votes as state representative was for the impeachment of Blagojevich and his removal from office in 2009. The people of the State of Illinois deserve better leadership. Since then, the Illinois General Assembly has worked hard to put the era of corruption behind us. As a result, a variety of ethics measures have been enacted to establish strict ethics and codes of conduct for members of state boards and commissions appointed by the governor, strengthen the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, improve pension and governmental ethics, make procurement fair and open, improve government transparency with a new accountability portal, and protect whistleblowers. It is my hope that we can continue in these efforts to further clean up state government.”