Roger StoneRoger Jason StoneChris Christie: I wouldn’t have commuted Roger Stone sentence Graham says he will call Mueller to testify before Senate panel about Russia probe Sunday shows – Spotlight shifts to reopening schools MORE railed Monday against the U.S. justice system in his first television interview since President TrumpDonald John TrumpDavis: Supreme Court decision is bad news for Trump, good news for Vance Meadows trying to root out suspected White House leakers by feeding them info: Axios Pressley hits DeVos over reopening schools: ‘I wouldn’t trust you to care for a house plant let alone my child’ MORE stepped in and commuted his more than three-year prison sentence.
Stone, a longtime ally and confidant of Trump, claimed that he had a “biased judge” and a “stacked jury” and that he was prosecuted by “really sadistic, arrogant, politically motivated prosecutors.”
“I’m afraid this is a fixed system,” Stone told Fox News’s Sean HannitySean Patrick HannityTrump flails as audience dwindles and ratings plummet Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter implore public to ‘wear a mask to save lives’ Trump: ‘Shouldn’t be hard’ for Kanye West to take away votes from Biden MORE.
“This is the most horrible experience you can have,” Stone continued. “I see immediately why 99 percent of the people who choose to plead not guilty and go to trial lose when you’re up against the horrific and deep-pocketed resources of the federal government.”
Stone was convicted in November by a jury in Washington, D.C., on all counts he was charged with in connection with former special counsel Robert MuellerRobert (Bob) MuellerCNN’s Toobin warns McCabe is in ‘perilous condition’ with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill’s 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE’s Russia probe, including lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstruction.
Trump commuted Stone’s sentence the same day an appeals court denied Stone’s motion to delay his prison term, which was slated to begin Tuesday.
While the commutation was not particularly shocking, as Trump had dropped hints in recent weeks about intervening in the case, the move sparked fierce backlash from the president’s critics.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam SchiffAdam Bennett SchiffSunday shows – Spotlight shifts to reopening schools Schiff: ‘Anyone who cares about the rule of law in this country is nauseated’ by Stone sentence commutation Many Democrats want John Bolton’s testimony, but Pelosi stays mum MORE (D-Calif.), who leads the congressional panel that Stone lied to in 2017 during its investigation into Russian interference, sharply criticized Trump’s decision to commute Stone’s sentence as “among the most offensive to the rule of law and principles of justice.”
Mueller, who led the nearly two-year investigation, penned an op-ed in The Washington Post on Saturday in which he wrote that Stone “remains a convicted felon, and rightly so.”
Stone, in his interview with Hannity, appeared to take a victory lap, maintaining his innocence, praising Trump and Fox News host Tucker CarlsonTucker CarlsonJohns Hopkins doctor: Issuing ‘ultimatum’ for schools to reopen is ‘wrong approach’ Chris Wallace presses DeVos on threats to withhold funding from schools that don’t reopen Tucker Carlson’s top writer resigns amid allegations he posted racist, sexist remarks online MORE for being his allies throughout the trial, and echoing the president by attacking the Mueller probe as a hoax.
“I have deep, deep affection for Donald Trump because I’ve known him for 30 years,” Stone told Hannity.
Stone said Trump saved his life, as he is 67 years old with respiratory issues and was set to enter a prison with outbreaks of the coronavirus.
“He’s a man of great justice and fairness. He’s a man of enormous courage. I knew he would take some shots for this, but I think most people most fair-minded people understand. He saved my life,” said Stone.
