Stone drops appeal of convictions

Can’t clear name in unfair court, Trump ally contends

Roger Stone dropped the appeal of his conviction for lying to Congress and tampering with a witness during the probe into Russia’s election interference, weeks after President Donald Trump commuted his sentence.

The longtime Republican operative had said he was eager to clear his name on appeal — something a full pardon would have prevented him from doing. But in a statement late Monday, he said it would be impossible for him to get a fair hearing before the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, which he accused of mistreating former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Stone, 67, asked the court to dismiss his appeal in a brief legal filing that didn’t give a reason for his request. But his emailed statement outlined a number of grievances that have been echoed repeatedly by Trump.

“I have reluctantly decided to dismiss the appeal of what I believe to be a wrongful conviction in a trial tainted by judicial bias, egregious and blatant juror bias and misconduct and prosecutorial misconduct,” Stone said. “I have come to the firm conclusion based on their previous actions in my case to date and based on their recent actions in the Flynn case, that it would be impossible for me to ever get a fair hearing from this appellate court for the vitally important, fundamental constitutional issues my case raises.”

Last month, the president commuted Stone’s sentence, meaning Stone wouldn’t be incarcerated but would remain a convicted felon unless he successfully appealed.

“Roger Stone was treated very unfairly,” Trump said July 11. “Roger Stone was brought into this witch hunt, this whole political witch hunt, the Mueller scam.”

Stone’s case was a spectacle from the start, with his arrest at home broadcast live by CNN. It took another unusual turn when all the prosecutors withdrew from the case after the Justice Department reduced their sentencing recommendation, triggering claims that Attorney General William Barr was trying to help a Trump ally.

The judge eventually sentenced Stone to more than three years in a federal prison in Georgia, saying the evidence of his wrongdoing was overwhelming and backed by his own extensive communications.

When the coronavirus pandemic started, Stone was able to delay his surrender date as the virus took hold in prisons across the country. But when he asked for another 60-day delay, citing his underlying health problems, the request wad denied. The Justice Department initially didn’t challenge his request but changed course and said he should report to prison.

The appeals court made the decision “knowing it was very likely sending me to my death,” Stone said in his statement.

“It is time for me to move on with my life with my family, friends, and supporters,” Stone said. “My attorneys have convinced me that the odds of victory were slim, and the risk of being subjected to both an unfair appeal and perhaps an unfair second trial before the same judge was just too great a risk.”