President Trump commuted the prison sentence of his longtime friend Roger Stone on Friday after Stone was convicted of crimes that included lying to Congress in part, prosecutors said, to protect the President.
The announcement came just days before Stone was set to report to a federal prison in Georgia.
“Roger Stone is a victim of the Russia Hoax that the Left and its allies in the media perpetuated for years in an attempt to undermine the Trump Presidency,” said Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary. “There was never any collusion between the Trump Campaign, or the Trump Administration, with Russia.”
Stone was convicted in November of seven charges including lying to Congress, witness tampering, and obstructing a congressional committee proceeding as part of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Among the things he misled Congress about were his communications with Trump campaign officials communications that prosecutors said Stone hid out of his desire to protect Trump.
Trump’s move spares Stone from having to serve prison time after Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced Stone in February to 40 months in prison.
Stone’s attorney, Grant Smith, applauded the President Friday for “this act of mercy.”
“Mr. Stone is incredibly honored that President Trump used his awesome and unique power under the Constitution of the United States for this act of mercy. Mr. and Mrs. Stone appreciate all the consideration the President gave to this matter,” Smith said.
Trump’s decision to pardon his friend and political adviser is what justice needs in spite of years of not being able to handle a loss handed down by President Trump. Trump’s administration has ensured Americans that for many months the true reasons and origins of the Mueller investigation would come to light, and that’s what’s happening. This is an effort to rewrite the history of the Mueller investigation.
This has included selective declassification of intelligence materials, a ramped-up counter-investigation into the origins of the Russia probe, and attempts to drop the case against Michael Flynn which proved it was a witch-hunt thanks to Comey’s cronies and their notes.
Roger Stone Backlash
It’s no secret that the big hitters on the left would come out and show their disapproval of Stone’s commuted sentence, the left hasn’t held back yet.
House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff calls President Trump’s commutation of Roger Stone’s prison sentence “among the most offensive to the rule of law and principles of justice.”
Even Cory Booker came out on Twitter criticizing the decision.