Numerous sources are reporting that President Trump has commuted Roger Stone’s prison sentence. Fox News foreshadowed it
Sources told Fox News Friday that the president could announce a commutation of Stone’s sentence as early as Friday evening.
Later Friday, an appeals court denied Stone’s request to delay reporting for his sentence, saying he must report for prison on Tuesday.
“In sum, Stone is not legally eligible for further postponement of his reporting date under 18 U.S.C. § 3145(c), which is the only basis on which he seeks relief from this court. We therefore deny his motion,” the court wrote in its order.
and none other than Lindsey Graham
In my view it would be justified if President @realDonaldTrump decided to commute Roger Stone’s prison sentence.
Mr. Stone is in his 70s and this was a non-violent, first-time offense.https://t.co/jbbGTucRpq
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 10, 2020
It looks like it is official.
BREAKING: President Trump has commuted the sentence of Roger Stone.
Statement from the White House: pic.twitter.com/GWUglu5XAB
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 10, 2020
Apparently, the decision is not universally praised within the White House as campaign staff, and some cabinet officials see this as making things much harder. Still, outside advisers encouraging him to do it.
Stone has little support in the White House and the Trump campaign. Corey Lewandowski, the 2016 campaign manager who advises the current reelection effort, has called Stone a serial liar. Stone’s friends say there’s also animosity with the campaign manager, Brad Parscale. Even Attorney General Bill Barr, who gummed up other investigations into the president, supports Stone’s imprisonment.
But outside the campaign and White House, Stone has support from influential backers that include Fox News’s Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, Newsmax founder Chris Ruddy and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a top Trump ally.
The decision definitely is not liked in the media. This tweet is from the woman who left the FBI under questionable circumstances after three years and is now employed by CNN to be a law enforcement and counterintelligence expert:
Trump has a personal interest in Stone’s case, and Stone has made it clear that if he does not receive a commutation, he has incriminating evidence he can give to prosecutors which he withheld from the Special Counsel.
Taking any action here is an abuse of power, and you know it https://t.co/YPJubv7tVX
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) July 10, 2020
I’ve never been a Roger Stone fan, but neither am I a fan of the power of the federal government being focused on a single man for no other reason than to use the process as a punishment for not fabricating a Russia Hoax story to sell the Robert Mueller’s merry band of misfits and sociopaths. The fact that the FBI leaked the date and time of Stone’s arrest to CNN to ensure it was captured on video is shameful, and hopefully, whenever John Durham decides to stop braiding his nasal hair and do something, we will find out who was behind that act. Using an FBI SWAT team to bring in Stone when a phone call to his lawyer would have sufficed was an abuse of power that should never be tolerated.
And this from a guy who wouldn’t last 90 seconds in an actual cage match with Roger Stone.
Roger Stone touts himself as the ultimate alpha male bad boy.
In the last few days, he has gotten on his knees and begged like a good little beta male for @realDonaldTrump to save him from prison, lest he squeal like a rat on Trump.
If reports are correct, Trump gave in.
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) July 10, 2020
I think the decision was a righteous one. Stone’s indictment and trial were mainly an exercise is criminalizing trash talk. He was targeted because of his friendship with Trump and the mistaken perception by Mueller’s thugs that Stone could be coerced into telling lies about Trump to save himself. As it turned out, he was tougher than they thought…and they were stupider than we would have thought possible.
