President Trump is reportedly expected to commute the sentence of his friend and former aide Roger Stone.
Stone, who was charged as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is expected to receive a sentence commutation from Trump, according to a Fox News report released Friday. CNN also reported that more than half a dozen people close to the president believe he will grant Stone a commutation or pardon.
Sources informed Fox News that Trump may announce his decision as early as Friday evening.
Trump told reporters outside the White House on Friday that he is “looking at” pardoning Stone, stating that he was “unfairly treated, as were many people,” as he departed for Florida.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for comment.
In a statement given to the Washington Examiner, Roger Stone said his legal team will soon respond to federal prosecutors who asked an appeals court on Thursday to decline his request for a postponement of his prison sentence to September.
“There is no reasonable explanation for the government change of position. Perhaps this is more of the ‘Special Treatment’ Democrats say I am getting. In their response to our appeal, they are attempting to rewrite the facts and in fact their response is rife with inaccuracies. This will be reflected and documented in our response which will be filed shortly,” Stone said.
Stone’s lawyers asked a federal appeals court to postpone the start date of his prison sentence, now scheduled for next week, until September 3, citing “medically documented life-threatening health risks” due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, prosecutors said United States District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, the judge overseeing Stone’s case, made the correct decision by only approving an extension until Tuesday. He has until Friday to submit a response to the government with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Stone, 67, was charged as part of Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. He was arrested in January 2019 and was later found guilty on five separate counts of lying to the House Intelligence Committee about his alleged outreach to WikiLeaks, one count that he “corruptly obstructed” the congressional investigation, and another for attempting to intimidate a possible congressional witness, radio host Randy Credico.
Stone was sentenced to 40 months for obstruction of justice and 12 months for the other five counts to be served concurrently. He also received a $20,000 fine and two years of supervised release when he gets out.
Trump has decried Stone’s sentencing as a “miscarriage of justice” in the past. Stone told Fox News on Thursday he is “praying” the president will intervene.
