On Friday, President Donald Trump made the unprecedented move of granting clemency to his longtime ally Roger Stone. Stone, a convicted felon, was sentenced to some forty months in prison after being found guilty on seven charges.
His charges ranged from lying to Congress to obstructing a witness. Many critics decried Trump’s move to commute his ally’s sentence, noting that it sets a dangerous precedent for future presidents.
In response to the move, former special counsel Robert Mueller penned an op-ed in the Washington Post. Within, Mueller noted that in spite of Trump’s move, Stone “remains a convicted felon, and rightly so.”
This op-ed is a rare public statement from Mueller, one that goes against his usual insistence on letting his lengthy report speak for itself.
Officials indicted Roger Stone after Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s 2016 connection to Russian foreign assets. In the op-ed, Mueller defends his office’s charging of Stone, noting that they had evidence that Stone lied to investigators and tried to obstruct a witness. This came after Trump defended granting clemency to Stone by alleging that he was targeted by an “illegal witch hunt.”
In his lengthy and scathing op-ed, Mueller notes that while Stone might not serve time in prison, he will remain a convicted felon. In response to Mueller’s remarks, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) oddly noted that he wanted to see Mueller testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Since Mueller’s report came out, democrats on the Committee have been pushing for just such a session.
Even some members of Trump’s own political party have pushed back on Stone receiving clemency for his crimes. Senator Mitt Romney noted that the move was troubling. He said it shows that the president is willing to pardon his own political allies.
Pundits from both sides of the aisle note that the move makes it seem like the president will condone his allies lying on his behalf.
Trump commuted Stone’s sentence as he faces slumping approval ratings. This slump is largely due to national crises and numerous books that paint Trump in a negative light. His niece, Mary Trump, recently released a book called “Too Much and Never Enough,” which details the Trump family’s bizarre dynamics. It should be a hit audiobook rental due to its high-profile and incendiary subject matter.
