What Happens Next With Roger Stone's Sentencing?

Hunter DeRensis

Politics, Americas

Here's what we know.

This afternoon the Department of Justice announced that it would be reevaluating the fairness of its sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone. Stone, the longtime Republican political operative and close friend of President Donald Trump since the 1980s, was charged in January 2019 with seven counts of obstruction, witness tampering, and making false statements to Congress, all stemming from the special prosecutor investigation led by Robert Mueller. He was convicted in November.

Yesterday, federal prosecutors recommended that Stone receive seven to ten years in prison ahead of his sentencing hearing next Thursday. This is beyond what was originally expected by the DOJ.

“The Department was shocked to see the sentencing recommendation in the filing in the Stone case last night,” an anonymous official told both Fox News and The Washington Post. “The sentencing recommendation was not what had been briefed to the Department.”

“The department finds the recommendation extreme and excessive and disproportionate to Stone’s offenses. The department will clarify its position later today,” the official said.

At press time, the department had not yet released its statement. But that did not prevent the President from commenting.

“This is a horrible and very unfair situation. The real crimes were on the other side, as nothing happens to them. Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!” tweeted Donald Trump late last night. It’s been predicted that Trump would use his presidential pardoning power to absolve Stone of all wrongdoing. Previously, the president has pardoned Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, an ally on immigration, and conservative author Dinesh D’Souza.