By Gina Gomez
Chicago, Jan 12, (THAINDIAN NEWS) It seems that Senator Harry Reid has something in common with former Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich, who has expressed his apologies for making racist comments about United States President Barack Obama. In an interview given to Esquire magazine, the former Illinois Governor had said that he is “blacker than Barack Obama.”

The remarks sparked quite a controversy, which resulted in Rod Blagojevich apologizing for the comments in a press conference outside his home on Monday morning. The ousted governor emphasized that the remarks that he made about President Obama was extremely ‘stupid‘, while repeating the term over a dozen times. At the same time, the former governor defended his comments as a metaphor and stressed that the remarks highlighted his frustration about the manner in which the Obama administration was handling financial as well as the heathcare challenges of the nation.

In the press conference, Rod Blagojevich also added that although he regretted his choice of words during the interview, the frustration that he felt regarding the functioning of the administration was real. However, the former governor also implied he would not be able to express his apologies directly to President Obama as he did not have the phone number of the President. Later, Rod Blagojevich also appeared on a radio show in Chicago to offer his apologies, which was mainly targeted at the black listeners.

Rod Blagojevich was taken into custody last year on charges that included his attempts to sell President Obama’s Senate seat. The former Illinois Governor had been impeached following his arrest, although he has pleaded not guilty to the charges that have been levied against him.