Pat Toomey became the second Republican senator to criticize President Trump’s decision to commute the sentence of his friend and political ally Roger Stone.
The Pennsylvania Republican said Saturday that Trump “clearly has the legal and constitutional authority” to grant Stone clemency, but it also noted his strong disagreement with the move.
“This authority should be used judiciously and very rarely by any president. While I understand the frustration with the badly flawed Russia-collusion investigation, in my view, commuting Roger Stone’s sentence is a mistake,” Toomey said in a statement. “He was duly convicted of lying to Congress, witness tampering, and obstructing a congressional investigation conducted by a Republican-led committee.
“Earlier this week Attorney General Bill Barr stated he thought Mr. Stone’s prosecution was ‘righteous’ and ‘appropriate’ and the sentence he received was ‘fair.’ Any objections to Mr. Stone’s conviction and trial should be resolved through the appeals process,” the senator added.
Sen TOOMEY: “commuting Roger Stone’s sentence is a mistake.” pic.twitter.com/7Lj7kxn6nI
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) July 11, 2020
The statement comes after fellow GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah condemned the president’s decision to commute Stone’s sentence.
“Unprecedented, historic corruption: an American president commutes the sentence of a person convicted by a jury of lying to shield that very president,” Romney tweeted Saturday morning.
Stone, a 67-year-old self-proclaimed “dirty trickster,” was scheduled to report to prison for a 40-month sentence on Tuesday. He was charged as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation and was convicted of lying to congressional investigators, obstructing a congressional investigation, and attempting to intimidate a possible congressional witness.
Following the news of the commutation, Stone said Trump “saved my life.” Because Stone did not receive a person, he retains his criminal record.
“He has appealed his conviction and is seeking a new trial. He maintains his innocence and has stated that he expects to be fully exonerated by the justice system,” a Friday statement from the White House read after granting Stone clemency.
