Lawmakers split on Stone’s clemency
WASHINGTON – Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle reacted to news that President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of his longtime confidant Roger Stone. Democrats accused Trump of abusing his power while some Republicans applauded the move.
Stone is a Republican operative convicted of lying to Congress to protect the president’s 2016 campaign from an investigation into Russian election interference. The commutation does not nullify the felony convictions but means Stone won’t have to go to prison.
Stone was convicted of lying to investigators about efforts by Trump campaign aides to learn about Wikileaks’ plans to release emails that Russian operatives stole from Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation found that Russia undertook a “sweeping” campaign to help Trump, but found no evidence Trump coordinated with the effort.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-calif., tweeted that “Stone lied and intimidated witnesses to hide Trump’s exploitation of the Russian hack of his opponent’s campaign.”
“With Trump there are now two systems of justice in America: One for Trump’s criminal friends and one for everyone else,” Schiff added.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-utah, called the commutation an “unprecedented, historic corruption.”
“An American president commutes the sentence of a person convicted by a jury of lying to shield that very president,” Romney wrote in a tweet.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-ohio, tweeted that he supported Trump’s decision.
“Like every president, President Trump has the constitutional right to commute sentences where he believes it serves the interests of fairness and justice,” Jordan posted. “Each week, Americans learn more about how the Obamabiden Administration weaponized the intelligence community and Justice Department to target the Trump campaign.”
The White House announced Trump’s decision late Friday, days before Stone was set to report to prison for a 40-month sentence handed down in February, a stunning downfall for a consultant who has advised campaigns for decades.
Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign said in a statement that Trump “has once again abused his power, releasing this commutation on a Friday night, hoping to yet again avoid scrutiny as he lays waste to the norms and values that make our country a shining beacon to the rest of the world.”
“He will not be shamed. He will only be stopped when Americans make their voice heard at the ballot box this fall. Enough,” the statement said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Dcalif., suggested on CNN that there should be a law prohibiting pardons if the crime was committed to protect the president.
Before the clemency was announced, Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., tweeted, “In my view it would be justified if (the) President decided to commute Roger Stone’s prison sentence. Mr. Stone is in his 70s and this was a non-violent, first-time offense.” Stone is actually 67.