Roger Stone lied to Congress, tampered with a witness, and he now faces up to 20 years behind bars — and that’s justice.
Stone, a longtime Trump confidant and flamboyant crook, was found guilty on seven federal counts on Friday for the role he played in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into alleged collusion between Russia and Trump. Stone was charged for repeatedly misrepresenting to Congress his 2016 attempt to collaborate with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and attempting to prevent InfoWars conspiracy theorist Roger Credico from testifying accurately to Congress.
The case against Stone was cut-and-dry. He deliberately lied to Congress over and over and over again, and then tried to cover his tracks by intimidating another witness into silence.
Some Trump allies have attempted to rehabilitate Stone’s crimes by arguing that everything he did was for the president. But none of this changes the nature of Stone’s crimes, and pardoning him would be a mistake. Trump vowed to “drain the swamp” of its self-interested cronies. Stone has been one of its leading villains for decades. Pardoning him now would send the message that crime and dishonesty are okay as long as they are in the service of the White House.
As the Democrats accelerate their impeachment efforts, it’s important for Trump to keep his distance from Stone. The disgraced Trump adviser has the potential to become a serious liability for a president under investigation for alleged obstruction of justice.
Stone now joins the likes of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, and former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos — disgraced hatchet men who hurt the Trump administration more than they helped.
Trump seems to have a talent for choosing advisers that land themselves in jail, but if he’s smart, he’ll leave them there.
