Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said Thursday that President Trump could pardon or commute his longtime political adviser Roger Stone’s 40-month prison sentence.
“Under our system of justice President Trump has all the legal authority in the world to review this case, in terms of commuting the sentence or pardoning Mr. Stone for the underlying offense,” the South Carolina Republican tweeted.
Earlier Thursday, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced Stone to three years and four months in prison for lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstruction.
The sentencing came after the Justice Department overruled prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington to ask for a sentence “far less” than the original seven to nine years they had recommended.
“It is important to give both the government and the accused a fair trial free from influence,” Mr. Graham continued. “I believe this has been accomplished in Mr. Stone’s case.”
Democrats, however, warned Mr. Trump against pardoning Stone.
“His sentence is justified. It should go without saying, but to pardon Stone when his crimes were committed to protect Trump would be a breathtaking act of corruption,” tweeted Rep. Adam B. Schiff, California Democrat and chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Rep. Mike Quigley, Illinois Democrat, said Stone does not deserve special treatment because of his longtime relationship with the president.
“Americans must trust that our judicial system administers justice based on the law, not on political favors,” he said. “Despite unprecedented interference by President Trump and Attorney General [William] Barr, today’s sentence demonstrates that Stone’s crimes were serious and undermined faith in government.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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