Rep. Adam Schiff wrote off President Trump’s decision to commute the sentence of his friend and former aide Roger Stone as a blow to justice and the rule of law.
“I think anyone who cares about the rule of law in this country is nauseated by the fact that the president has commuted the sentence of someone who willfully lied to Congress, covered up for the president, intimidated witnesses, obstructed the investigation,” Schiff said Sunday on ABC News’ This Week. “It shouldn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican. This should be offensive to you if you care about the rule of law, and if you care about justice.”
NEW: Rep. Adam Schiff on Roger Stone: “I think anyone who cares about the rule of law in this country is nauseated by the fact that the president has commuted the sentence of someone who willfully lied to Congress, covered up for the president …” https://t.co/OIBN1nggXM pic.twitter.com/2RbDx7iQqs
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 12, 2020
Trump’s commutation of Stone’s sentence follows a federal appeals court panel decision that rejected his proposition to delay his 40-month prison sentence that would have began this week. Stone, 67, was charged as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Stone was found guilty of five separate counts of lying to the House Intelligence Committee, which Schiff is chairman of, one count that he “corruptly obstructed” the congressional investigation, and another for intimidating potential congressional witnesses.
“The president threw this commutation, basically saying, ‘If you lie for me, if you cover up for me, if you have my back, then I will make sure that you get a get out of jail free card,'” Schiff said. “Other Americans, different standard. Friends of the president, accomplices of the president, they get off scot-free.”
The congressman also condemned Republican silence on the move. Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania are among the only GOP lawmakers to criticize the move.
“Here you have no more than a couple of Republicans willing to say a single word about someone who came in before Congress and lied to them, intimidated witnesses, and obstructed them,” Schiff said. “And why? Because he did it to cover up for a president for their party. This is a distinction between now and Watergate. The Republicans at that time would not have stood for this, and Nixon understood that. But Donald Trump understands that he has these Republicans cowed. They won’t stand up to him. They won’t defend the rule of law.”
Rep. Adam Schiff slams GOP for silence on Trump’s Stone commutation: “Republicans won’t stand up for the rule of law, won’t stand up for the independence of the Justice Department … this was a Republican-led investigation that Roger Stone lied to.” https://t.co/OIBN1nggXM pic.twitter.com/R3GFGQwoci
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 12, 2020
