The White House announced Trump's decision late Friday, days before Stone was set to report to prison for a 40-month sentence handed down in February. A photo of Roger Stone. (Photo by=Getty Images) |
[아시아뉴스통신=레악카나 기자] Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle reacted Friday night to news President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of his longtime confidant Roger Stone. Democrats accused Trump of abusing his power while some Republicans applauded the move. Stone is a Republican operative convicted of lying to Congress to protect the president's campaign from an investigation into Russian election interference. Former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation found Russia undertook a "sweeping" campaign to help Trump, but found no evidence he coordinated the effort.
The White House announced Trump's decision late Friday, days before Stone was set to report to prison for a 40-month sentence handed down in February, a stunning downfall for a consultant who has advised campaigns for decades. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., tweeted that "Stone lied and intimidated witnesses to hide Trump’s exploitation of the Russian hack of his opponent’s campaign."
"With Trump there are now two systems of justice in America: One for Trump's criminal friends and one for everyone else," the lead House impeachment manager continued. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, called the commutation an "unprecedented, historic corruption," on Saturday. The campaign of former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, said in a statement that Trump "has once again abused his power.