Roger Stone: Convicted, Then Commuted, Then Pardoned — Witness Tampering and Obstruction Rewarded

Overview

Roger Stone was convicted of lying to Congress to protect Donald Trump and of threatening a witness to maintain that lie. Trump commuted his sentence before he served a day in prison. Then Trump pardoned him.

The sequence is not subtle. Stone was prosecuted for crimes committed in the service of concealing Trump's relationship with Russian intelligence operations. He did not cooperate with prosecutors. He was rewarded.

The Sentencing Override

The DOJ's intervention in Stone's sentencing was unusual enough that all four career prosecutors on the case resigned publicly. A fifth withdrew entirely. Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who presided over the trial, formally questioned the override.

Attorney General Barr described the intervention as routine — one he had already decided on before Trump's tweet criticizing the original recommendation. The timing of events did not support this account.

What Stone Was Convicted Of

Stone lied to the House Intelligence Committee about the extent of his contacts with WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks had published emails stolen from Democratic Party officials and Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman by Russian military intelligence operatives later identified in Mueller's indictments.

Stone knew, before the public did, that WikiLeaks had John Podesta's emails. He claimed in congressional testimony that his only contact with WikiLeaks was through Randy Credico — a frail, elderly radio host. When Credico was called to testify, Stone threatened him with references to his dog, his finances, and his physical safety to prevent him from contradicting Stone's story.

The jury heard this evidence and convicted on all counts in less than two days.