Nancy Pelosi Slams Roger Stone Decision, Wants Law Against Pardon For Those Who Break Law Protecting President
Nancy Pelosi spoke out against Donald Trump’s decision to commute the sentence of longtime political adviser Roger Stone, saying she wants a law preventing future pardons for those who commit crimes in order to protect the president.
Pelosi appeared on CNN hours after the White House announced that Trump would be commuting Stone’s sentence. Pelosi said blamed “the president and his henchmen” and noted that many close to Trump have been convicted of crimes. She called on Congress to pass a law that would outlaw pardons for people who were jailed for a crime that was meant to protect the president.
“”I’m recommending that we pass a law that presidents cannot issue a pardon if the crime that the person is in jail for is one that is caused by protecting the President, which this was,” she said.
The House speaker also released a statement condemning Trump’s decision to commute the sentence, again noting that Stone’s offenses appeared to be linked back to his relationship with Trump.
“President Trump’s decision to commute the sentence of top campaign advisor Roger Stone, who could directly implicate him in criminal misconduct, is an act of staggering corruption,” Pelosi said.
The White House had announced the decision to commute Stone’s sentence just before he was scheduled to enter a federal prison in Georgia to serve out his sentence.
Pelosi has long been vocal about her opposition to what she saw as improper conduct on Trump’s part, including a series of statements that he was considering a pardon for his longtime political adviser. As The Hill noted, Pelosi said back in February that she believed the president engaged in political interference for Stone’s sentencing, and called for an investigation into the Department of Justice’s handling of the matter.
The Department of Justice revised its sentencing recommendation, reversing a call from prosecutors that he serve more significant time in jail. The decision drew widespread criticism at the time and led to growing speculation that Trump would pardon Stone before he served time in jail.
Stone was convicted of lying to investigators and tampering with a witness. Trump had long spoken out against what he believed to be an unfair prosecution and hinted that he would intervene in the sentencing. The president followed through on Friday.
The decision was widely criticized, with many saying that Trump was trying to protect a longtime confidant who was convicted after lying to protect the president.
