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Roger Stone was sentenced to three years and four months in prison on Thursday after being found guilty of witness tampering and lying to Congress.
The sentence was less than the 7-9 years recommended by prosecutors.
Stone, a former political adviser to Donald Trump, was convicted in connection with the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. He was also slapped with a $20,000 fine. Stone’s sentencing was determined by Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the DC District Court, who oversaw several of the legal cases Robert Mueller raised against Trump’s allies over the course of his special counsel probe.
During the hearing, Jackson defended the maximum sentencing guidelines while rejecting the argument from Stone’s lawyer that his client didn’t engage in witness tampering by threatening Randy Credico’s dog. The judge also pointed out that Stone’s obstruction wasn’t directed at “an anti-Trump cabal,” but rather at the House Intelligence Committee, which was at the time controlled by Republicans and chaired by
Before sentencing Judge Berman struck a grave tone, noting “Nothing about this case was a joke. It wasn’t funny. It wasn’t a prank.” But she also claimed to agree that the original 7 to 9 year sentencing memo was too harsh, adding that she doubts she would have thought differently even if not for “unprecedented actions of the Department of Justice in the past week.”
Jackson also took Stone to task for his conduct throughout the trial, particularly for violating his gag orders.
Stone’s case became a subject of uproar recently after Trump complained that it was “very unfair” his former consultant was being recommended for a 7 to 9-year prison sentence. Barr intervened to reduce the sentence in the days that followed, and as several Justice Department prosecutors walked away from the Stone case in protest, Trump was accused of exerting improper influence over the DOJ to protect his friends.
The sentencing could be seen as tacit support of Attorney General Bill Barr who reportedly intervened on behalf of Stone when prosecutors advised sentencing of 7-9 years.
The firestorm surrounding Stone’s case reached a new level when Barr gave an interview and grumbled that Trump’s tweets about DOJ investigations “make it impossible to do my job.” Trump has admitted to putting Barr in a difficult position, even as he continues to defend his right to involve himself in the Justice
Between Trump’s complaints about the case and the fact that Stone’s jury was led by a foreperson who posted anti-Trump messages on social media, it is possible the president will issue a pardon to Stone in the foreseeable future. Trump has been coy about pardoning Stone when asked about it in the last few days, but on Thursday morning, Trump tweeted a clip of Fox News host Tucker Carlson calling Stone’s prosecution a “travesty” the president could resolve by granting him clemency.
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