Blagojevich in NBC interview compares himself to Gandhi, King and Mandela

**Terminator** · 01-26-09, 08:58 PM

Impeached Gov. Blagojevich, on the first leg of his media blitz timed to the start of his impeachment trial, in an NBC interview broadcast on The Today Show Sunday compared himself to human rights heros Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.
On the press offensive, Blagojevich has lined up national interviews--NBC, ABC, "The View" to run as his impeachment trail starts Monday before the Illinois state senate in Springfield.
Blagojevich, wearing a blue ivy league shirt, told NBC's Amy Robach that he has not prepared mentally for possibly going to prison. The impeachment was triggered by Blagojevich's Dec. 9 arrest on criminal charges, including trying to auction off President Obama's vacant senate seat.
As Dec. 9 unfolded, Blagojevich told NBC, "I thought about Mandela, Dr. King and Gandhi and tried to put some perspective to all this and that is what I am doing now."
Blagojevich is not going to participate in his defense because he says the rules are rigged against him. He will not be in Springfield for his trial; instead he will be doing nationally televised interviews.
The governor told NBC that the state Senate trial will be so unfair, he could bring in "15 angels and 20 saints led by Mother Theresa" to testify on his behalf and "it wouldn't matter."