What does Patti Blagojevich do for a living? What we know about Rod Blagojevich's wife 

Patti Blagojevich was a part of Donald Trump's speech on the 'full and unconditional pardon' for Rod Blagojevich on February 10th, 2025. Trump commended Patti for standing beside her husband, saying that Rod was a victim of injustice.

Patti Blagojevich is the wife of Rod Blagojevich, the former Governor of Illinois, and is a former real estate agent and financial advisor. Daughter of Richard Mell, a powerful Chicago alderman, she was born in a family closely connected with politics. She earned her economics degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

After her husband was arrested and removed from office in 2008, Patti faced many challenges in her professional and personal life. She was dismissed from her position as fundraiser for a Chicago homeless agency and had to halt her real estate career. To support herself and her family, she helped start a lobbying firm with her father in 2014 and eventually went back into real estate work.

Patti also transitioned into financial advising, having worked with various firms, including Wunderlich Securities and Janian Investment Advisers. She became self-employed as financial advisor since 2018, specializing in retirement and 401(K) planning.

Patti Blagojevich has remained an outspoken advocate for her husband, maintaining her efforts to have him released from penitentiary. Rod and Patti Blagojevich are parents to two daughters, Amy Blagojevich and Anne Blagojevich.

---

Patti Blagojevich and her daughter Amy have repeatedly upheld Rod's innocence

Patti Blagojevich and her daughter, Amy, have consistently defended Rod Blagojevich, arguing that he was unfairly prosecuted and wrongfully imprisoned.

In a Chicago Tribune column titled 'How Our American Dream Turned into an American Nightmare,' Patti blamed the "Obama-era" Justice Department and FBI for her husband's downfall. She accused key figures such as former FBI Directors Robert Mueller and James Comey. both of whom have been criticized by Donald Trump, of orchestrating an unjust case against Blagojevich. She also pointed to Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S. attorney who led the prosecution, as part of what she viewed as a politically motivated effort to bring down her husband.

Amy Blagojevich also expressed her frustration with Barack Obama, particularly after he declined to commute her father’s sentence before leaving office in 2017. In an emotional letter published by her mother on Facebook, Amy accused Obama of betraying justice, stating:

"I thought you had a moral compass. Turns out you’re just like the rest—selfish and spineless."

She expressed deep disappointment, believing that Obama had the chance to correct an injustice but failed to do so. Despite their appeals, it wasn’t until 2020 that Rod Blagojevich was released, thanks to a commutation granted by then-President Donald Trump.