The “Roger Stone Did Nothing Wrong” movement to pressure President Donald Trump to pardon famed veteran political operative Roger Stone has worked.
This past Friday while Trump was in South Florida for some grassroots meetings and a high dollar fundraiser in Hillsborough Beach, The White House announced that the president commuted the sentence of his long-time friend and advisor.
Trump had long signaled that he was going to pardon Stone, but a commutation is just as good, and it keeps Stone out of prison. Trump expressed that Stone did not get a fair trial, and considering how the Russian collusion case has unraveled, the case can be made that Stone had the deck stacked against him.
Trump’s move could be a temporary one until after the election. Whether or not he wins his re-election bid, President Trump will have the opportunity to completely pardon Stone, a move that would send his detractors and Democrats in a virtual political tailspin.
In other words, their heads would explode.
Democrats reacted to news of Stone’s commutation in the usual and expected way.
“Not even two months later & now the President has commuted Roger Stone’s sentence,” stated Texas Rep. Al Green (D) “Mr. President, is NOTHING beneath you?!
Rep. Green has a special distaste in his mouth considering that he was the first to call for Trump’s impeachment.
"I called for impeachment the day after the Mueller report came out. Donald Trump has continued to commit crimes and pardon his felon buddies because he believes he’s above the law—and every Republican who voted to acquit him enabled and owns this." -Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D)
House Judiciary Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D) said it was “a shockingly corrupt abuse” by Trump.
Lincoln Project founder, Trump-hater, and “Republican” Rick Wilson is also a bit bothered by Trump's decision to commute Stone’s statement, tweeting that Americans should remember that “Roger Stone is still a Felon. With a felony record for all his feloning (sic). A member of Club Felon.”
But while Democrats cry foul for Trump’s support of his friend, in looking back at commutations for convicted felons that Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton passed down, the charges that Stone was convicted on appear to be the equivalent of jay-walking.
In looking at Obama’s commutations, a laundry list of violent drug-dealing had their sentences commuted, many of these criminals had a firearm possession charge as well.
Trump’s son, Donald Trump, Jr., offered Trump naysayers like Rick Wilson some “perspective” over the Stone commutation.
A little bit of perspective for those who are outraged that @realdonaldtrump commuted Roger Stone sentence. Let’s not forget Roger Sone was going to jail for 9 years for “interfering” in a fake investigation. An investigation that all in Govt who started the process knew was BS. pic.twitter.com/Ybpim1o8wr
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 12, 2020
“Let’s not forget Roger Stone was going to jail for 9 years for “interfering” in a fake investigation, stated Trump, Jr. “An investigation that all in Govt who started the process knew was BS.” Whether you like it or not, Stone is free.
Stone called the move by Trump an “act of mercy” and an “act of Justice” on his Parler account.
Expect to see Stone making the rounds at some of Fort Lauderdale’s nicer eating establishments around town.
