Imprisoned former Ald. Edward Burke has become the latest Chicago Democrat to seek clemency from someone who, at first blush, would seem like an unlikely suitor: Republican President Donald Trump. Burke,

Burke, 81, has filed a petition with the Office of the Pardon Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, seeking to have his two-year prison sentence​ commuted.

Ed Burke, 81, was found guilty of federal racketeering and bribery charges in 2023 and is serving a two-year prison sentence. The typical commutation process could take months or years, but President Trump's DOJ could expedite review.

Former Chicago Ald. Ed Burke, who was convicted in a federal bribery case, has requested his sentence be commuted. If his petition is granted, that would allow him to be released from prison sooner.

Burke, who was convicted of wide-ranging corruption charges in December 2023 and sentenced last year to two years in federal prison, filed a petition with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Pardon Attorney earlier this month, online records show.

Former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke has asked President Trump to shorten his prison sentence for a corruption conviction. He was convicted in December of 2023 on charges he used his official power to steer business to his private law firm.