This archive report was first published on 11 July 2020.
On July 10, 2020, President Donald Trump commuted the prison sentence of his longtime ally Roger Stone, shielding him from 40 months behind bars.
Stone, one of Trump's oldest confidants, was convicted last November of lying to Congress, tampering with a witness, and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to help him win the 2016 election.
The move is certain to renew charges that the president intervenes in the US justice system to help friends and allies and punish critics and perceived enemies.
Stone's case has been marked by controversy, including the intervention of the Trump administration in his sentencing. After prosecutors recommended a prison term of seven to nine years, Attorney General Bill Barr called that excessive, and all four prosecutors handling the case quit.
Trump's act has been met with criticism from lawmakers, including Senator Kamala Harris of California, who noted that Stone, who is white, is now walking free while police officers in Kentucky accused of killing a black health worker in her home have not been arrested or charged.
“The two systems of justice in this country must end,” Harris tweeted.
