Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, of Pennsylvania, blasted President Trump’s decision to commute the prison sentence of his longtime confidant Roger Stone, calling it “a mistake.” Toomey also called out Attorney General Bill’s assessment of Stone’s case.
“The president clearly has the legal and constitutional authority to grant clemency for federal crimes,” Toomey said in a statement, according to The Hill. “However, this authority should be used judiciously and very rarely by any president,” he added.
“Stone was “duly convicted of lying to Congress, witness tampering, and obstructing a congressional investigation conducted by a Republican-led committee,” Toomey said.
“Any objections to Mr. Stone’s conviction and trial should be resolved through the appeals process,” he declared.
He also noted that on July 8 Attorney General William Barr said he thought Stone’s prosecution was “righteous” and “appropriate” and that the sentence he received was “fair.”
Stone was convicted of lying to Congress in connection with its investigation into Russia’s election interference, witness tampering and obstructing an official proceeding.