Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich says in his first statement since entering prison that he'll ``fight on'' in the courts because ``what is at stake is nothing less than the rule of law.''
The Illinois Democrat's longtime public relations firm released the written statement Monday.
The 58-year-old says criteria used to convict him of corruption mean ``any politician can be jailed at the whim of an ambitious prosecutor.''
Blagojevich began serving a 14-year prison sentence in Colorado in 2012.
Jurors convicted him on 18 counts, including that he tried to sell President Barack Obama's former Senate seat. A three-judge appellate panel recently tossed five of those counts.
Monday's statement came as defense attorneys asked for a rehearing of his appeal. Blagojevich urged people to read his lawyers' arguments.