President Trump should defy critics and issue a prompt pardon to his longtime political adviser Roger Stone, a former aide to both men told the Washington Examiner.
Sam Nunberg, who has called Stone a “surrogate father” and began working for Trump in 2011 but fell out with him in 2016, said that Trump should not fear criticism from his political enemies.
“He is getting impeached anyway, so he has zero excuses not to right this wrong,” Nunberg said.
Stone faces a potentially long prison sentence after he was convicted on seven counts that include lying to Congress and witness tampering. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 6.
“The charges are a joke,” Nunberg said. “The government’s star witnesses are Steve Bannon, who has personal issues with Roger, the criminal Rick Gates, who cut a favorable deal, and the sterling gift to society Randy Credico. The fact that Mueller let this waste of taxpayer money go forward is even more evidence that Mueller lost his faculties and should not have been in charge.”
Trump said Friday that Stone was treated unfairly, moments after he was convicted of lying about attempts to reach WikiLeaks and related charges. Trump tweeted the trial was “a double standard like never seen before.”
Trump wrote, “What about Crooked Hillary, Comey, Strzok, Page, McCabe, Brennan, Clapper, Shifty Schiff, Ohr & Nellie, Steele & all of the others, including even Mueller himself? Didn’t they lie?”
….A double standard like never seen before in the history of our Country?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2019
Trump has expressed sympathy for loyalists such as Stone in the past, including former campaign manager Paul Manafort, who was convicted last year of various federal crimes including tax fraud. But Trump has not pardoned Manafort or others linked to the Mueller investigation. Manafort still faces state charges, which Trump cannot pardon him for, so a pardon for his federal crimes at this point might not keep Manafort out of jail.
“Unlike Paul Manafort and Gen. Flynn, the [Mueller investigation] liberals brought charges against Stone that are related solely from their ill-fated bogus attempt to undo the results of the 2016 election on the Russia canard,” Nunberg said. “If the president doesn’t pardon Stone, and Roger spends a second in jail, while the White House has already pardoned crack dealers, then the president has a perverse idea of criminal justice that I guess is dictated by Kanye West. Do the right thing! The president should talk to Attorney General Barr about the Iran Contra pardons.”
Nunberg added, “After all, [Trump] pardoned Scooter Libby and therefore understands the selective, malicious, and arbitrary nature of Democrat DOJ partisans bringing trials against Republican presidential confidants.”
Many people close to Trump and the White House declined to comment on whether Trump is likely to issue a pardon. Stone and his attorney declined to comment shortly before the verdict.
One insider noted that it’s unclear if Stone retains links to people close to Trump.
“I don’t think anyone that still talks to Stone would admit it,” this person said. “It’s a recipe for a subpoena.”
