February 11
On This Day In 2020
Roger Stone, the longtime GOP operative, was convicted by a jury on all seven counts related to Russia’s interference in the 2016 Election brought by Robert Mueller.
His felonies included lying to Congress, obstructing justice, and witness tampering. The Justice Department recommended a prison sentence of 7-10 years.
But upon learning the news, Trump promptly chimed in that such a sentence would be “unfair.”
Trump’s Administration jumps to his rescue: The very next day, despite expectations that a DOJ is independent from a prez, William Barr’s Justice Dept adjusted their request, asking for a lesser sentence. OTDI 2020, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) summed it up perfectly:
What ended up happening?
We bet you can guess. Just days before Stone was required to report to prison, Trump commuted his buddy’s sentence entirely, leaving Stone a free man.
It never ends: Last month, it was revealed that Stone was caught on tape apparently discussing assassinating Trump’s opponents. Charming.
Sources/Links for further reading
ABC News explained the conviction
Reuters describes Trump’s actions to keep his friend out of prison
CNN has the 2024 story on the recording:
On This Day In The Trump Administration: Trump interferes with the prosecution of his ally Roger Stone