Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of long-time confidant and political ally Roger Stone, with a White House statement claiming he «is a victim of the Russia Hoax that the Left and its allies in the media perpetuated for years in an attempt to undermine the Trump Presidency».
Roger Stone, a longtime political adviser to Donald Trump arrives for his sentencing hearing at the DC Federal District Court in Washington in February ( EPA )
The outspoken Republican consultant had been due to start 40 months behind bars on Tuesday for lying to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering — charges linked to an investigation into alleged Russian interference in the US political process.
Meanwhile cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus have continued to surge across the US, with a Reuters tally saying the figure had risen by 69,000 on Friday — setting a record for the third consecutive day.
Among the states hit by a rise in numbers has been Florida, where the Walt Disney company intends reopen its flagship theme park.
- Trump commutes sentence of friend and confidant Roger Stone
- Coronavirus cases surge at record rate across US
- Disney World park expected to reopen despite uptick in Florida cases
- Justice Department to appeal judge’s decision to halt first federal execution in nearly two decades
Donald Trump has commuted sentence of his friend and confidant Roger Stone — days before he had been due to report to prison for the start of his 40 month sentence.
The move has stoked alarm from the president’s political rivals. House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff called it «offensive to the rule of law and principles of justice. Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez asked, «Is there any power Trump won’t abuse?»
Meanwhile Coronavirus cases have continued to surge at record rate across US — with a Reuters tally saying the figure had risen by 69,000 across the United States on Friday.
Among the states to have been impacted were Florida — where Disney World is still planning to reopen in the coming days.
And the Justice Department to appeal judge’s decision to halt first federal execution in nearly two decades. Daniel Lee, 47, had been scheduled to die by lethal injection on Monday — but the family of the victims in the murder case had requested that it be called off because their fear of the coronavirus would keep them from attending.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
