President Donald Trump on Friday evening commuted the sentence of his longtime associate Roger Stone days before he was set to report to federal prison, CNN reports, citing two senior administration officials.
In February, Stone was sentenced to 40 months in prison for crimes including obstruction, witness tampering and making false statements to Congress.
The controversial move brings an abrupt end to the possibility of Stone spending time behind bars. He had been scheduled to report to prison on July 14.
It also concludes an ongoing dispute between Trump and his Justice Department over the length of Stone’s sentence, which exposed Attorney General Bill Barr’s corrupt interference in the case.
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“Roger Stone is a victim of the Russia Hoax that the Left and its allies in the media perpetuated for years in an attempt to undermine the Trump Presidency,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. “Mr. Stone would be put at serious medical risk in prison,” she added.
During Stone’s sentencing hearing, federal prosecutors ultimately argued within the parameters of the original sentencing guidelines.
Stone was the seventh person to be convicted and sentenced for crimes unearthed by former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
The high-profile commutation follows Trump’s post-impeachment clemency spree during which he commuted or pardoned multiple white-collar criminals convicted of crimes such as corruption, gambling fraud and racketeering.
