Long-time Trump adviser Stone to be sentenced by judge he antagonized

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Long-time Trump adviser Stone to be sentenced by judge he antagonized

By Sarah N. Lynch

 

FILE PHOTO: Roger Stone, former campaign adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, arrives for his criminal trial on charges of lying to Congress, obstructing justice and witness tampering at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., November 6, 2019. REUTERS/ Tom Brenner/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Since his January 2019 arrest, President Donald Trump's longtime adviser Roger Stone has repeatedly tested the patience of the federal judge who presided over his trial. On Thursday, that judge will tell the self-described "dirty trickster" how long he will serve in prison.

 

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson is scheduled to sentence Stone, a veteran Republican operative whose friendship with Trump dates back decades, after a 12-member jury in November found him guilty on all seven counts of lying to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering.

The judge on Tuesday rejected Stone's bid to delay the sentencing.

 

The high-profile case has taken on additional importance since Trump last week blasted the federal prosecutors who won Stone's conviction as "corrupt" after they recommended to the judge a prison sentence of seven to nine years. Attorney General William Barr, appointed last year by Trump as the top U.S. law enforcement official, swiftly intervened and the Justice Department withdrew the recommendation as "excessive," with all four prosecutors then quitting the case.

 

The Republican president thanked Barr for "taking charge" of the Stone matter, though Barr rebuked Trump for tweeting about the case.

 

Congressional Democrats have accused Trump and Barr of politicizing the U.S. criminal justice system and threatening the rule of law.

 

Stone has repeatedly pushed the boundaries set by Jackson since his arrest in a dramatic pre-dawn FBI raid on his Florida home. Stone violated the judge's orders not to talk about the case or post on social media, and she accused him of "middle school" behaviour. At one point, Stone posted an image of Jackson on Instagram with what looked like the crosshairs of a gun over her head.

 

"His antics are definitely an aggravating factor, and he can expect a longer sentence than he otherwise would have received," said Mark Allenbaugh, a co-founder of Sentencing Stats, LLC who previously worked for the U.S. Sentencing Commission that sets federal sentencing guidelines.

 

"Expect an eloquent lecture from her about the sanctity of the rule of law and how judges should not be threatened and will not be threatened by such antics," added Allenbaugh, who predicted a sentence of between three and five years.

 

Trump has criticized not only the prosecutors but the jurors in the case and Jackson, an appointee of Trump's Democratic predecessor Barack Obama. Stone's lawyers have asked for a new trial in a motion still under seal.

 

Trump has sidestepped questions as to whether he might pardon Stone. "You're going to see what happens," Trump told reporters on Tuesday, adding that Stone had been treated "very unfairly."

 

'EVERY EFFORT'

Some experts called the original sentencing recommendation by the prosecutors too high and forecast that Jackson would sentence Stone to far less. Stone's defence team recommended a sentence of 15 to 21 months.

 

"I would bet that the judge will make every effort to put all of those things aside and to sentence him based on the conduct that he was convicted of," said Bruce Green, a former federal prosecutor who is now a professor at the Fordham University School of Law in New York.

 

This marks the second time in 11 months that Jackson will sentence a former senior aide to Trump convicted by a jury in a case arising from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation that detailed Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election to boost Trump's candidacy.

 

Jackson last year sentenced Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, to 3-1/2 years in prison for unlawful lobbying and witness tampering, which combined with a sentence in a related case meant he would spend more than seven years behind bars.

 

Jackson took steps to rein in Stone's behaviour early in the case. After she granted him broad discretion to continue discussing the case publicly, Stone posted the gun crosshairs image. Stone apologised to the judge during a pre-trial hearing, and she barred him from speaking about the case.

 

Stone violated that order by reposting articles promoting unproven conspiracy theories about Russia's 2016 hacking of the Democratic National Committee's computer system and mocking people connected to his case. Jackson then barred him from making any posts on social media.

 

Stone, 67, was convicted of lying under oath to U.S. lawmakers about his outreach to WikiLeaks - the website that disclosed many hacked Democratic emails ahead of the 2016 election that proved embarrassing to Trump's Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton - to protect Trump from looking bad.

 

Mueller's investigation concluded the emails were hacked by Russia. Stone sought to cast doubt on Moscow's role.

 

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Will Dunham)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-20

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[keith101]

We can only hope that Trumps attempt at interference backfires and the judge gives him the maximum sentence .

[Tug]

And this stone idiot was putting her picture on the internet in crosshairs lol ya just can’t make this stuff up well does he feel like a target now?lol I’m sure trump will probably pardon him lol allong with manifort when he needs a really big distraction you know our Donald only the best people what a clown show

[Chomper Higgot]

The sentence will also be a verdict.

 

It will reveal to anyone who cares to pay attention whether or not Billy Barr was able to influence to sentence.

 

If he has, that’s a bad outcome for impartial justice.

 

If he hasn’t, that’s a bad day for Trump and therefore a very bad day for Barr.

 

 

[Tug]

Oh I don’t think this judge is afaraid of trump or Barr there’s a strong possibility both of them may find themselves in her crosshairs lol!!!

[Nyezhov]

Her failure to have a hearing on juror misconduct is reversible error. Whatever sentence she imposes will be meaningless at this time.

[Langsuan Man]

11 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Her failure to have a hearing on juror misconduct is reversible error. Whatever sentence she imposes will be meaningless at this time.

Hey,  we have an Appellate Judge in residence here at Thai Visa.  Who is minding your court room while you are here ?

 

Appeals have to come AFTER sentence Your Honor Nyezhov 

[Nyezhov]

9 minutes ago, Langsuan Man said:

Hey,  we have an Appellate Judge in residence here at Thai Visa.  Who is minding your court room while you are here ?

 

Appeals have to come AFTER sentence Your Honor Nyezhov 

Yes. So whats your point? How does that conflict with what I said? Or is it just the usual bashing towards someone who doesnt think "correctly"?

 

[tomazbodner]

1 hour ago, keith101 said:

We can only hope that Trumps attempt at interference backfires and the judge gives him the maximum sentence .

Maximum sentence for Trump? That would be nice...

[Berkshire]

30 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Her failure to have a hearing on juror misconduct is reversible error. Whatever sentence she imposes will be meaningless at this time.

Meaningless?   555555....not to Roger Stone.

[Chomper Higgot]

45 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Her failure to have a hearing on juror misconduct is reversible error. Whatever sentence she imposes will be meaningless at this time.

Only meaningless if you ignore the President’s attempt to interfere with the sentencing.

[bristolboy]

2 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Her failure to have a hearing on juror misconduct is reversible error. Whatever sentence she imposes will be meaningless at this time.

It's clear you haven't read the voir dire. Stone's attorneys questioned her at length. Appeals courts tend to frown on such grounds when the convicted party had ample access to legal representation. You have to be very full of yourself to believe that a distinguished federal court judge has an understanding of juror misconduct inferior to your own.

[mlmcleod]

Just more high crimes and misdemeanors for our acquitted president.  He now has no bounds to his criminality!

[neeray]

The sentence will be longer as a result of Trump interfering with the judicial system.

But it's a moot point because Trump will want to show his cojones and will commute the sentence in his next batch, if not sooner.

[Chomper Higgot]

4 minutes ago, neeray said:

The sentence will be longer as a result of Trump interfering with the judicial system.

But it's a moot point because Trump will want to show his cojones and will commute the sentence in his next batch, if not sooner.

Trump will do no such thing.

 

He can’t risk a legal challenge to him pardoning coconspirators in his own crime, let alone stripping Stone of his 5th Amendment rights.

[Psimbo]

Meaningless either way. Trump will just pardon him anyway as he has done with others who showed contempt for the law recently.

 

'Justice' system is in freefall so long as he can dish out pardons willy-nilly.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

24 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Trump will do no such thing.

 

He can’t risk a legal challenge to him pardoning coconspirators in his own crime, let alone stripping Stone of his 5th Amendment rights.

 

I think Trump is a criminal and deserves to be kicked out of office and thrown in jail....

 

BUT.... from what I've understood, a president's pardoning authority when it comes to federal offenses supposedly is pretty much unlimited. Recall, back earlier in the Mueller process, there was even some discussion about whether Trump could pardon himself if he was convicted while serving.

 

I don't think it's right by any means, but I don't think any of the usual "conflict of interest" provisions apply when it comes to presidential pardon decisions.

 

[Chomper Higgot]

32 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I think Trump is a criminal and deserves to be kicked out of office and thrown in jail....

 

BUT.... from what I've understood, a president's pardoning authority when it comes to federal offenses supposedly is pretty much unlimited. Recall, back earlier in the Mueller process, there was even some discussion about whether Trump could pardon himself if he was convicted while serving.

 

I don't think it's right by any means, but I don't think any of the usual "conflict of interest" provisions apply when it comes to presidential pardon decisions.

 

No President has ever tried to Pardon himself or his co-conspirators.

 

Be assured any attempt for Trump to do so will face a legal challenge, which is precisely why he’s saving that card to be played only for himself and his family.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

15 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

No President has ever tried to Pardon himself or his co-conspirators.

 

Be assured any attempt for Trump to do so will face a legal challenge, which is precisely why he’s saving that card to be played only for himself and his family.

 

Trump has an ever increasing portfolio of having done things that past presidents have never or rarely done. 

 

But just as some prior examples of presidential pardons prerogative, if memory serves, Bill Clinton at one point pardoned his own brother for a cocaine conviction charge, as well as his one-time business partner Susan McDougal of the Whitewater scandal fame.  While George W. Bush commuted the sentence of former aide Scooter Libby in a perjury case.

 

As I said above, in the federal realm, presidential pardon prerogative is basically unlimited. And if you think the current Supreme Court would uphold any challenge to that notion, you're dreamin'....

 

Plus Trump hasn't been charged with any crime as yet... So it would be kind of hard for him to have any "legal" co-conspirators at this point. Rather, they're all just friends and allies who have just as much disregard for the law as their boss.

 

[bristolboy]

10 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Trump has an ever increasing portfolio of having done things that past presidents have never or rarely done. 

 

But just as some prior examples of presidential pardons prerogative, if memory serves, Bill Clinton at one point pardoned his own brother for a cocaine conviction charge, as well as his one-time business partner Susan McDougal of the Whitewater scandal fame.  While George W. Bush commuted the sentence of former aide Scooter Libby in a perjury case.

George H.W. Bush did something far worse. He pardoned the high level officials being investigated over the Iran-Contra scandal. Their testimony likely would have implicated him. And you know who recommended those pardons: William Barr, who was AG at the time.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

George H.W. Bush did something far worse. He pardoned the high level officials being investigated over the Iran-Contra scandal. Their testimony likely would have implicated him. And you know who recommended those pardons: William Barr, who was AG at the time.

Quote

 

Republican president George H. W. Bush pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 77 people.[19] Among them are:

For their roles in the Iran–Contra affair

Elliott Abrams

Duane Clarridge

Clair George

Alan Fiers

Robert McFarlane – National Security Adviser to President Ronald Reagan

Caspar Weinberger – Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_pardoned_or_granted_clemency_by_the_president_of_the_United_States

 

[Chomper Higgot]

24 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Trump has an ever increasing portfolio of having done things that past presidents have never or rarely done. 

 

But just as some prior examples of presidential pardons prerogative, if memory serves, Bill Clinton at one point pardoned his own brother for a cocaine conviction charge, as well as his one-time business partner Susan McDougal of the Whitewater scandal fame.  While George W. Bush commuted the sentence of former aide Scooter Libby in a perjury case.

 

As I said above, in the federal realm, presidential pardon prerogative is basically unlimited. And if you think the current Supreme Court would uphold any challenge to that notion, you're dreamin'....

 

Plus Trump hasn't been charged with any crime as yet... So it would be kind of hard for him to have any "legal" co-conspirators at this point. Rather, they're all just friends and allies who have just as much disregard for the law as their boss.

 

You don’t need to be indicted to be identified as a coconspirator, ‘Individual-1’ is aware of that.

 

A better argument is, though I doubt you’ll like it, ‘Pardons’ are applied post conviction and hence not something that can be fished out to people who have not been indicted.

 

[Tug]

Man did he get off easy only 40 months unbelievable 

[englishoak]

1 hour ago, Tug said:

Man did he get off easy only 40 months unbelievable 

 

Hardly, its huge for a man at that age. 

 

 

 

 

[Orton Rd]

Judges should be beyond being antagonized, lets hope Trump pardons him soon

[stevenl]

7 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Judges should be beyond being antagonized, lets hope Trump pardons him soon

Huh? So he threatens a judge, and you conclude the judge is to blame.