Donald Trump has fueled speculation he will pardon Roger Stone by retweeting a petition calling for his freedom as his longtime ally insists the ‘final chapter is not written’.
Trump retweeted a story Saturday morning on a petition of more than 110,000 signatures demanding his former adviser be granted a pardon as he faces 40 months in jail for witness tampering, obstruction of justice and lying to Congress during its probe into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election.
The post, shared by self-proclaimed ‘Digital Keyboard Warrior for @realDonaldTrump’ Lori Hendry, read: ‘IT’S TIME TO #PardonRogerStone’.
This comes just one day after Stone lost his federal court bid to delay his jail sentence to September due to COVID-19.
Donald Trump has fueled speculation he will pardon Roger Stone by retweeting a petition calling for his freedom as his longtime ally insists the ‘final chapter is not written’ (above)
Stone shared the news that the president may step in to save him from prison in a series of triumphant Instagram posts.
‘Look who retweeted at 7:35 this morning! The final chapter is not written,’ Stone wrote.
‘My struggle for freedom and to expose the epic corruption of my persecution continues. Nothing can stand between me and the reelection of the greatest president in my lifetime. Stay tuned.’
Stone later posted a plug for an upcoming radio interview where he pledged to speak of his ‘epic struggle for freedom against the deep state’ and another post where he hit out at several media outlets, calling them fake news.
‘I hear that numerous reporters at CNN, MSNBC, New York Times, the Washington Post and the Daily Beast among others, are on suicide watch,’ he wrote alongside an article by Politico about Trump retweeting the petition.
Trump (right) retweeted a story Saturday morning on a petition of more than 110,000 signatures demanding his former adviser Stone (left) be granted a pardon as he faces 40 months in jail for witness tampering, obstruction of justice and lying to Congress during its probe into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election
The social media activity from the two longtime friends has sparked yet more questions over whether the president will jump to pardon Stone of his crimes.
A few weeks back, Trump also suggested a pardon could be in the cards when he tweeted that he was a ‘victim’ and blasted his conviction a ‘political crime’.
‘Roger was a victim of a corrupt and illegal Witch Hunt, one which will go down as the greatest political crime in history,’ Trump tweeted on June 4.
‘He can sleep well at night!’
A US judge on Friday ruled that Stone must report to prison on July 14 and that he will immediately be placed on house arrest until then, turning down the 67-year-old’s request to delay his sentence until September.
Stone was set to begin his 40-month sentence at a prison in Georgia on June 30 but claimed he has health issues that increase his risk of contracting coronavirus and asked that his start date be pushed back 60 days.
Stone shared the news that the president may step in to save him from prison in a series of triumphant Instagram posts Saturday where he said ‘the final chapter is not written’
US District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson decided not to grant the extension Friday but gave Stone 14 days until he must hand himself in to begin his sentence.
She also ordered Stone to begin immediate home confinement until July 14, noting the rising number of coronavirus cases in Florida, where he is located.
The judge wrote in her order that this was added because of ‘the strong medical recommendation’ submitted by Stone’s defense lawyers.
The home confinement would be monitored by court officials before Stone is required to surrender at the prison on July 14.
Stone was convicted in November on all seven counts of an indictment that accused him of lying to Congress, tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to tip the 2016 presidential election in his favor.
He was the sixth Trump aide or adviser to be convicted on charges brought as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the race for the White House.
A few weeks back, Trump also suggested a pardon could be in the cards when he tweeted (pictured) that Stone was a ‘victim’ and blasted his conviction a ‘political crime’
Before his February 20 sentencing, the Justice Department leadership backed away from its initial recommendation just hours after Trump tweeted his displeasure at the recommendation of up to nine years in prison, saying it had been too harsh.
The move led to a brief flare-up between Attorney General William Barr and Trump.
Throughout Stone’s trial and conviction, several people have been accused of interference including Trump, Barr and top officials at the DOJ.
Aaron Zelinsky, a member of Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s team who prosecuted the Stone case, testified about interference from the DOJ to drop the charges against Stone.
Zelinsky told Congress that he recommended a harsher sentence for Stone but DOJ leaders pushed for a more lenient sentence at Barr’s direction because they were ‘afraid of the president.’
In written testimony, he said Stone was ‘being treated differently from any other defendant because of his relationship to the president’.
A US judge on Friday ruled that Stone must report to prison on July 14 and that he will immediately be placed on house arrest until then, turning down the 67-year-old’s request to delay his sentence until September