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Roger Stone sentenced to three years and four months in prison | |
(32 minutes later) | |
A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Roger Stone, President Trump’s longtime friend, to serve three years and four months in prison for impeding a congressional investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. | A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Roger Stone, President Trump’s longtime friend, to serve three years and four months in prison for impeding a congressional investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. |
The penalty from U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson comes after weeks of infighting over the politically charged case that threw the Justice Department into crisis, and it is likely not to be the final word. Even before the sentencing hearing began, Trump seemed to suggest on Twitter he might pardon Stone. With the proceedings ongoing, Trump questioned whether his ally was being treated fairly. | |
In a lengthy speech before imposing the penalty, Jackson seemed to take aim at Trump, saying that Stone “was not prosecuted for standing up for the president; he was prosecuted for covering up for the president.” She also appeared to call out Attorney General William P. Barr, whose intervention to reduce career prosecutors’ sentencing recommendation she called “unprecedented.” But she said the politics surrounding the case had not influenced her final decision. | |
“The truth still exists; the truth still matters,” Jackson said. “Roger Stone’s insistence that it doesn’t, his belligerence, his pride in his own lies are a threat to our most fundamental institutions, to the foundations of our democracy. If it goes unpunished it will not be a victory for one party or another; everyone loses.” | |
She added, “The dismay and disgust at the defendant’s belligerence should transcend party.” | She added, “The dismay and disgust at the defendant’s belligerence should transcend party.” |
Stone, who wore a wide-striped suit and a polka-dot tie to court Thursday, showed no visible emotion as the sentence was read, moving to confer with his lawyers. As he emerged from the courtroom, he appeared calm and said he would not be making a statement. | |
“I have nothing to say,” Stone said. “Thank you.” | |
On Friday, Stone had requested a new trial after Trump suggested that the forewoman in Stone’s case had “significant bias,” and Jackson said previously she would delay executing his sentence until she resolves that request. In addition to prison time, Jackson ordered Stone to pay a $20,000 fine and serve two years of supervised release. | |
Prosecutors also left the courtroom without commenting. | |
The penalty capped a particularly unusual sentencing hearing in which Jackson sought not only to resolve disputes between prosecutors and defense attorneys, but also to seek answers on the internal Justice Department haggling over what punishment the government would endorse. | |
Trump, meanwhile, weighed in publicly from afar — again bucking Barr’s public and private warnings to stop talking about Justice Department criminal cases. In a tweet, the president compared Stone to former FBI director James B. Comey, former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Trump has suggested that each of them should be charged. | |
“‘They say Roger Stone lied to Congress.’ @CNN,” Trump wrote, tagging the news network. “OH, I see, but so did Comey (and he also leaked classified information, for which almost everyone, other than Crooked Hillary Clinton, goes to jail for a long time), and so did Andy McCabe, who also lied to the FBI! FAIRNESS?” | “‘They say Roger Stone lied to Congress.’ @CNN,” Trump wrote, tagging the news network. “OH, I see, but so did Comey (and he also leaked classified information, for which almost everyone, other than Crooked Hillary Clinton, goes to jail for a long time), and so did Andy McCabe, who also lied to the FBI! FAIRNESS?” |
Overnight, Trump also hinted he could issue a pardon to Stone, tweeting a video clip in which Fox News host Tucker Carlson said, “President Trump could end this travesty in an instant with a pardon, and there are indications tonight that he will do that.” Carlson noted in the video a series of pardons and commutations the president has already granted this week. | |
Prosecutors took a fairly aggressive posture toward Stone — which itself is notable given what had happened the week before the hearing. | |
The initial team of four career prosecutors recommended that Jackson impose a term of seven to nine years, only to see Trump tweet about the matter, and Barr personally intervene. All four prosecutors then quit the case — with one leaving the government entirely — and their replacements filed a new recommendation suggesting that three to four years was “more typical” in cases like Stone’s. | |
The new prosecutors in court Thursday adopted the same technical arguments of their predecessors early in the proceedings and defended the Justice Department’s decision to bring the case. | |
“This prosecution is righteous,” Assistant U.S. Attorney John Crabb said. | “This prosecution is righteous,” Assistant U.S. Attorney John Crabb said. |
Crabb said the court “should impose a substantial period of incarceration,” although he did not propose a specific number of months or years. “The court will rely on its own sound judgment and experience,” he said. | |
Jackson made clear she thought Stone’s crimes were serious. She called his testimony “plainly false” and “a flat-out lie” and said his misdirection “shut out important avenues” for Congress to investigate. The judge said Stone knew “it could reflect badly on the president if someone learned” about his efforts to obtain damaging information from the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks about Clinton, who was then running against Trump for president. | |
Jackson acknowledged the unusual politics surrounding the situation as the hearing began, noting that prosecutors had filed two memos and commenting on the unusual nature of prosecutors’ position. | |
“For those who woke up last week and became persuaded that the guidelines are harsh and perhaps sentences shouldn’t be driven by strict application of a mathematical formula . . . I can assure you that defense attorneys and judges have been making that argument for a very long time,” she said. “But we don’t usually succeed in getting the government to agree.” | |
Jackson pressed Crabb for answers. She asked why the Justice Department ultimately chose to recommend bucking the guidelines in the case — when department policies do not let prosecutors argue for a sentence below the guidelines without approval — and questioned why Crabb was in court at all. | Jackson pressed Crabb for answers. She asked why the Justice Department ultimately chose to recommend bucking the guidelines in the case — when department policies do not let prosecutors argue for a sentence below the guidelines without approval — and questioned why Crabb was in court at all. |
“I fear that you know less about this case than possibly anybody else in the courtroom,” Jackson said. | “I fear that you know less about this case than possibly anybody else in the courtroom,” Jackson said. |
Crabb said the original prosecutors on the case had approval from U.S. Attorney Tim Shea to make the recommendation they did and that their filing was “done in good faith.” He said his understanding was there had been a “miscommunication” between Barr and Shea, centered around “what the expectations were from the AG and what the appropriate filing would be.” He apologized for the “confusion” — although even in court, his position seemed somewhat muddled. | |
Crabb seemed to endorse the same, technical logic that prosecutors had used in generating their recommendation in the first sentencing memorandum. Asked by Jackson about the change in position, Crabb said, “The guidelines enhancement applies here for the reasons set forth in the original sentencing memorandum.” He did not elaborate. | |
“What is the government’s position today?” Jackson asked, emphasizing the word today. When Crabb said he had nothing more to offer, she said with a bit of exasperation, “Okay, fine.” | “What is the government’s position today?” Jackson asked, emphasizing the word today. When Crabb said he had nothing more to offer, she said with a bit of exasperation, “Okay, fine.” |
Stone, 67, was convicted by a federal jury in November on seven counts of lying to Congress and tampering with a witness about his efforts to learn about hacked Democratic emails related to Hillary Clinton. | |
Prosecutors said the longtime GOP operative lied during testimony to the House Intelligence Committee in September 2017 to conceal his central role in the Trump campaign’s efforts to learn about computer files hacked by Russia and made public by WikiLeaks. Stone also threatened a witness who was an associate of his in an attempt to prevent the man from cooperating with lawmakers. | |
Stone was the sixth Trump associate convicted and the last person indicted in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation. | Stone was the sixth Trump associate convicted and the last person indicted in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation. |
Prosecutors quit amid escalating Justice Dept. fight over Roger Stone’s prison term | Prosecutors quit amid escalating Justice Dept. fight over Roger Stone’s prison term |
Stone’s defense attorneys had asked for probation, citing his age and lack of criminal history. Jackson said that although seven to nine years was too harsh, probation would be too light. Stone, she said, had shown “flagrant disrespect for the institutions of government established by the Constitution, including the Congress and this court.” | |
Defense attorney Seth Ginsberg argued in court for mercy, saying Stone is “a real person, not a media figure, not a political character but a real person,” who is soon to be a great-grandfather. He emphasized Stone has “given of himself” to various causes — including veterans, animal welfare and football players suffering from traumatic brain injuries — and has “worked to bridge racial divides in this country.” | |
That, he said, is “who Mr. Stone really is — not the larger than life political persona that he plays on TV, but the real person who goes home every day to his wife and his family.” | That, he said, is “who Mr. Stone really is — not the larger than life political persona that he plays on TV, but the real person who goes home every day to his wife and his family.” |
Ginsberg argued that New York City comedian and radio host Randy Credico, the witness Stone was convicted of threatening, understood that Stone was “all bark and no bite.” Credico appealed for leniency in a letter to the court: “The bottom line is Mr. Stone, at his core, is an insecure person who craves and recklessly pursues attention. . . . Prison is no remedy.” | |
“Even though the words on their face could be read as threatening, in the context of the dialogue between Mr. Credico and Mr. Stone it’s our position that these words . . . did not themselves constitute a threat at all,” Ginsberg said. “Mr. Stone is known for using rough, provocative, hyperbolic language. Mr. Credico knew that. . . . In the context of that private conversation. Mr. Credico understood that it was just Stone being Stone. He’s all bark, no bite. . . . There’s no threat at all.” | |
Crabb countered that the government believes the enhancement for threatening violence should apply: “The fact is that the defendant threatened Mr. Credico’s personal safety and his pet,” Crabb said. The judge agreed, quoting from some of Stone’s profane texts to Credico. | Crabb countered that the government believes the enhancement for threatening violence should apply: “The fact is that the defendant threatened Mr. Credico’s personal safety and his pet,” Crabb said. The judge agreed, quoting from some of Stone’s profane texts to Credico. |
“The defendant referred to this as banter, which it hardly is,” the judge said. | “The defendant referred to this as banter, which it hardly is,” the judge said. |
Crabb spoke briefly in favor of a sentencing enhancement for successful obstruction of justice, noting that both government filings were in concert on that point. | Crabb spoke briefly in favor of a sentencing enhancement for successful obstruction of justice, noting that both government filings were in concert on that point. |
That is technically true, though the memorandum he signed suggested the enhancement was duplicative and added, “it is unclear to what extent the defendant’s obstructive conduct actually prejudiced the government at trial.” | That is technically true, though the memorandum he signed suggested the enhancement was duplicative and added, “it is unclear to what extent the defendant’s obstructive conduct actually prejudiced the government at trial.” |
The judge ultimately applied the enhancement, saying Stone’s lies led to an “incorrect inaccurate and incomplete report” from Congress. | The judge ultimately applied the enhancement, saying Stone’s lies led to an “incorrect inaccurate and incomplete report” from Congress. |
Crabb also argued for an enhancement for extensive obstructive conduct saying Stone engaged in a “series of lies” and destroyed records — though the judge rejected that. | Crabb also argued for an enhancement for extensive obstructive conduct saying Stone engaged in a “series of lies” and destroyed records — though the judge rejected that. |
The Trump administration’s intervention in Stone’s case has set off a crisis for the Justice Department, which has been accused of suggesting a more lenient sentence for Stone to appease the president. | The Trump administration’s intervention in Stone’s case has set off a crisis for the Justice Department, which has been accused of suggesting a more lenient sentence for Stone to appease the president. |
Amid accusations impugning the independence of the Justice Department, Barr stated publicly that the president’s attacks against judges, prosecutors, jurors and his aides “make it impossible for me to do my job and to assure the courts … and the department that we’re doing our work with integrity.” This week, those close to Barr said the attorney general has told Trump advisers he has considered resigning over the president’s tweets. Trump, meanwhile, has continued to tweet about the Stone case — suggesting his friend deserves a new trial — even as the Justice Department, with Barr’s blessing, has opposed Stone’s request on that front. | Amid accusations impugning the independence of the Justice Department, Barr stated publicly that the president’s attacks against judges, prosecutors, jurors and his aides “make it impossible for me to do my job and to assure the courts … and the department that we’re doing our work with integrity.” This week, those close to Barr said the attorney general has told Trump advisers he has considered resigning over the president’s tweets. Trump, meanwhile, has continued to tweet about the Stone case — suggesting his friend deserves a new trial — even as the Justice Department, with Barr’s blessing, has opposed Stone’s request on that front. |
Barr pushes back against Trump’s criticism of Justice Dept., says tweets ‘make it impossible for me to do my job’ | Barr pushes back against Trump’s criticism of Justice Dept., says tweets ‘make it impossible for me to do my job’ |
Stone is one of several Trump advisers and confidants who have either been convicted or pleaded guilty in connection with the special counsel probe. That list includes former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and former campaign adviser George Papadopoulos. | Stone is one of several Trump advisers and confidants who have either been convicted or pleaded guilty in connection with the special counsel probe. That list includes former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and former campaign adviser George Papadopoulos. |
Stone’s two-week trial in November refocused attention on the Trump campaign’s keen appetite for dirt on its political opponents. The trial included testimony from former 2016 deputy campaign manager Gates, who testified he overheard a July 2016 phone call in which Trump himself seemed to discuss WikiLeaks with Stone. | Stone’s two-week trial in November refocused attention on the Trump campaign’s keen appetite for dirt on its political opponents. The trial included testimony from former 2016 deputy campaign manager Gates, who testified he overheard a July 2016 phone call in which Trump himself seemed to discuss WikiLeaks with Stone. |
Roger Stone guilty on all counts of lying to Congress, witness tampering | Roger Stone guilty on all counts of lying to Congress, witness tampering |
The trial also highlighted Trump’s ongoing standoff with congressional Democrats, then conducting an impeachment inquiry into whether the president pressured Ukraine to bolster his 2020 reelection bid. Trump directed the White House to withhold documents and block testimony in the inquiry, which ended in a Senate acquittal. | The trial also highlighted Trump’s ongoing standoff with congressional Democrats, then conducting an impeachment inquiry into whether the president pressured Ukraine to bolster his 2020 reelection bid. Trump directed the White House to withhold documents and block testimony in the inquiry, which ended in a Senate acquittal. |
Prosecutors asserted at trial that Stone thwarted Congress because the truth would have “looked terrible” for Trump and the campaign. Prosecutors argued Stone lied to protect the president from embarrassment. | Prosecutors asserted at trial that Stone thwarted Congress because the truth would have “looked terrible” for Trump and the campaign. Prosecutors argued Stone lied to protect the president from embarrassment. |
Prosecution witnesses included Gates and Trump campaign strategist Stephen K. Bannon, who took over in August 2016 when Gates’s boss, Manafort, was fired over his Ukraine ties. Gates and Bannon said the campaign viewed Stone as a sort of liaison to WikiLeaks who claimed — even before the Russian hacking was known — to have insight into its plans. | Prosecution witnesses included Gates and Trump campaign strategist Stephen K. Bannon, who took over in August 2016 when Gates’s boss, Manafort, was fired over his Ukraine ties. Gates and Bannon said the campaign viewed Stone as a sort of liaison to WikiLeaks who claimed — even before the Russian hacking was known — to have insight into its plans. |
Stone’s defense repeated his position that there was “no collusion” with Russia and portrayed their client as a hapless victim of the same braggadocio and chicanery that he practiced on others, burnishing his reputation as a political dirty trickster. Stone’s defense said any of their client’s misstatements were inconsequential and never amounted to anything. | Stone’s defense repeated his position that there was “no collusion” with Russia and portrayed their client as a hapless victim of the same braggadocio and chicanery that he practiced on others, burnishing his reputation as a political dirty trickster. Stone’s defense said any of their client’s misstatements were inconsequential and never amounted to anything. |
Through email leaks and propaganda, Russians sought to elect Trump, Mueller finds | Through email leaks and propaganda, Russians sought to elect Trump, Mueller finds |
Prosecutors argued that Stone’s communications with his acquaintance, conservative writer Jerome Corsi, described plans during the campaign to contact WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who had been living under house arrest at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London since 2012. | Prosecutors argued that Stone’s communications with his acquaintance, conservative writer Jerome Corsi, described plans during the campaign to contact WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who had been living under house arrest at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London since 2012. |
Stone and Corsi, who was never charged, denied having any contact with WikiLeaks, saying prosecutors were guessing based on Assange’s public statements. | Stone and Corsi, who was never charged, denied having any contact with WikiLeaks, saying prosecutors were guessing based on Assange’s public statements. |
Judge Jackson also will consider whether to punish Stone for repeatedly violating a court gag order. | Judge Jackson also will consider whether to punish Stone for repeatedly violating a court gag order. |
Before trial, Stone posted a photo of Jackson with an image of crosshairs next to her head on Instagram in February 2019. During his trial, he appealed for a presidential pardon through Alex Jones, a noted conspiracy theorist who hosts the right-wing website Infowars, prosecutors said. | Before trial, Stone posted a photo of Jackson with an image of crosshairs next to her head on Instagram in February 2019. During his trial, he appealed for a presidential pardon through Alex Jones, a noted conspiracy theorist who hosts the right-wing website Infowars, prosecutors said. |
Spencer Hsu and John Wagner contributed to this report. | |
Who is Amy Berman Jackson, Roger Stone’s sentencing judge? | Who is Amy Berman Jackson, Roger Stone’s sentencing judge? |
Through email leaks and propaganda, Russians sought to elect Trump, Mueller finds | Through email leaks and propaganda, Russians sought to elect Trump, Mueller finds |
Roger Stone guilty on all counts of lying to Congress, witness tampering | Roger Stone guilty on all counts of lying to Congress, witness tampering |
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