Excerpts from Blagojevich's statement: ‘I am just so incredibly sorry'

“I want to thank your honor for giving me this opportunity. I have a tendency sometimes to speak before I think. I’ve had plenty of time over the past several months to do a lot of thinking, reflecting about all that’s happened and all the things that have led up to me being in here before your honor, not being anywhere near places I dreamed of and hoped I would one day be.”

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“I’m here convicted of crimes. The jury decided that I was guilty. I am accepting of it. I acknowledge it. And I, of course, am unbelievably sorry … The mistakes I’ve made, in many ways have been terrible mistakes. And I want to take this opportunity to apologize to the people of Illinois, I want to apologize to your honor, to this court for these mistakes.”

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“If there’s any consolation I can offer to the people, to you and to myself, it is that I honestly believed I –

“Withdraw that.

“I never set out to break the law. I never set out to cross the lines. There is a line between routine politics, political horse-trading, campaign fund-raising, official acts and how you ask for political funds. It was always my intention in all the things I discussed back in 2008 to try to see if I could do those things on the right side of the line.

“I thought they were permissible. And I was mistaken. The jury convicted me. They convicted me because those were my actions. Those were things I said. Those were the things I talked about doing and discussed in conversations. I am responsible for that. I caused it all. I’m not blaming anybody.

“I was the governor and I should have known better.

“And I am just so incredibly sorry.”

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“I fought very hard. I fought as best I could, and I believed in what I was doing when I was fighting this case. I want to take this opportunity to apologize to you for fighting this case in the media.”

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“I also want to apologize for challenging the prosecutors as I did. I was very keen on your comments yesterday when you described how I saw it as a ‘duel’ and ‘a boxing match.’ You captured me. I saw it exactly that way, for whatever reasons – Alexander Hamilton, dueling with Aaron Burr like we were back in the 18th Century – I’ve read a lot about it. The boxing experience I’ve had. I did see it in those terms.”

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“You heard conversations, a lot people across Illinois and other places, the things I said on those tapes, the childish things, the immature things, ugly and petty things, self- centered and self-absorbed things. If this case was about being self-absorbed, I would have walked in and plead guilty immediately.”

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“I want to apologize to my brother. My brother’s a good man. I want to apologize to his family. I apologize for getting him involved in this whole thing. Had a happy, quiet, successful life in Nashville. He came up to help his little brother. And that happy world was dramatically changed for several years for him and I just want to express my apologies publicly to him as I’ve done privately.”

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“I want to now give my final apology to my family. My life is ruined. My life is in ruins. My political career is over. I can’t be a lawyer anymore. We can’t afford the home we live in. We’re trying to sell it. I’m in no position to earn a living for my children. … It’s a lot worse … because of what I brought on to my family. I want to apologize to my wife. I love her. She has stood by me in the worst of times, not only the best of times. She’s a loving wonderful person and wonderful mother. And, of course, I want to apologize to my children and explain this is not how we saw this.

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“Because of my stupidity and the mistakes and things I talked about, things I discussed, my children have had to suffer. I’ve ruined their innocence. Now when my kids go out in the world every day they have to face the fact that their father’s a convicted felon. Its not like their names’s Smith. They can’t hide.

“That’s something I’ve brought on myself. It’s a horrible punishment. It’s a responsibility and a burden I have to carry with me. I’ve nobody to blame.”

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“I accept the people’s verdict, Judge. They found me guilty.

“I never wanted to hurt anyone, most of all Children’s Memorial Hospital. I am before you now as a person convicted of crimes. I know as you make your decision you’re going to decide what you think is right and you think is just. I hope you can find some mercy to take into consideration all the things you have heard.”