Democrats Slam Donald Trump For Commuting Roger Stone’s Sentence
On Friday, several prominent Democratic Party politicians slammed President Donald Trump for commuting Roger Stone’s prison sentence, The Hill reported.
It has long been speculated that Trump might intervene in Stone’s case. Earlier on Friday, the president formally commuted the operative’s prison sentence.
In 2019, Stone was sentenced to more than three years in prison, after being found guilty of witness tampering and obstruction of justice.
“Donald Trump has abandoned the rule of law and made a mockery of our democracy. He truly is the most corrupt president in history,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote in a tweet.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff — who led the lower chamber’s probes into Trump and his allies — characterized the president’s decision as an attack on American democracy.
“President Trump has engaged in countless acts that are both self-serving and destructive to our democracy while in office, but commuting the sentence of Roger Stone, a crony who lied and obstructed our investigation to protect Trump himself, is among the most offensive to the rule of law and principles of justice.”
In a joint statement, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler and Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney said that Trump “abused the powers of his office” in order to reward “an individual that could directly implicate him in criminal misconduct.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described Trump as a “lawless president,” accusing him of regarding the Department of Justice as “his personal plaything.”
In a tweet, New Jersey senator and former presidential candidate Cory Booker described Stone as a “criminal” whose sentence was commuted because he “protected” the president.
Trump’s allies defended the decision to commute Stone’s sentence. In a statement, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that the longtime GOP operative was a “victim” of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference and related matters.
According to CNN, Stone’s allies — including his daughter and his friend Michael Caputo — have been lobbying Trump for months, arguing that the operative is not able to afford the legal fees. Those supportive of Stone have also appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show, using the platform to persuade the president to take action.
However, some in Trump’s inner circle apparently advised him against commuting the 67-year-old’s sentence, warning that the decision could lead to major backlash.
Trump was reportedly reluctant to intervene and had to be persuaded to do so. Attorney General William Barr was allegedly opposed to the idea as well.
The commander-in-chief has long alleged that the Russia investigation was an elaborate “hoax” meant to derail his presidency.
