Special Counsel Mueller Defends Prosecution, Conviction of Roger Stone
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
WASHINGTON—Former special counsel Robert Mueller in an op-ed on Saturday defended his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and said Roger Stone remains a felon, a day after President Trump commuted the prison sentence of his longtime friend and political adviser.
Mr. Stone was convicted in federal court in November of making false statements, witness tampering and trying to impede a congressional investigation into Russian election interference. He was set to report to prison on Tuesday to begin serving a 40-month sentence, before Mr. Trump moved on Friday to lessen his punishment .
"I feel compelled to respond both to broad claims that our investigation was illegitimate and our motives were improper, and to specific claims that Roger Stone was a victim of our office," Mr. Mueller wrote in an opinion article published in the Washington Post on Saturday. "The Russia investigation was of paramount importance. Stone was prosecuted and convicted because he committed federal crimes."
Mr. Trump tweeted Saturday morning that Mr. Stone had been "targeted by an illegal Witch Hunt that should never have taken place."
Lawmakers in both parties accused the president of corruption for commuting Mr. Stone's sentence. Rep. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.), who led the impeachment inquiry against the president, described the move as "most offensive to the rule of law and principles of justice."
Sen. Mitt Romney, the sole Republican exception to the Senate's party-line vote in February to acquit the president of the impeachment charges, said on Twitter, "Unprecedented, historic corruption: an American president commutes the sentence of a person convicted by a jury of lying to shield that very president."
Under the Constitution, presidents have power to pardon and commute sentences related to federal crimes. Mr. Trump's grant of clemency to Mr. Stone marks the first time he has used his authority to help one of his close associates.
Mr. Stone's conviction stemmed from Mr. Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race and whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russians. In a report upon the conclusion of his investigation last year, Mr. Mueller described sweeping interference efforts by Russia but said he didn't establish that the country colluded with the Trump campaign.
"The investigation did, however, establish that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome," Mr. Mueller wrote in the op-ed. "It also established that the campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts."
Mr. Trump has denied any collusion with Russia by his campaign. And Russia has denied interfering in U.S. elections.
Mr. Mueller wrote that Mr. Stone was a key figure in the investigation because of his 2016 communications with Russian intelligence officers and his claim of having advance knowledge of WikiLeaks' release of emails stolen by those intelligence officers.
"He lied about the identity of his intermediary to WikiLeaks. He lied about the existence of written communications with his intermediary. He lied by denying he had communicated with the Trump campaign about the timing of WikiLeaks' releases. He in fact updated senior campaign officials repeatedly about WikiLeaks. And he tampered with a witness, imploring him to stonewall Congress," Mr. Mueller wrote of Mr. Stone.
Mr. Stone has denied wrongdoing.
"We made every decision in Stone's case, as in all our cases, based solely on the facts and the law and in accordance with the rule of law," Mr. Mueller added.
Mr. Stone, a Republican operative for decades, met Mr. Trump in 1979 and later registered as a lobbyist on behalf of the Trump Organization. The two became friends around the 1990s, and Mr. Stone advised Mr. Trump for years, including helping to lead Mr. Trump's aborted 2000 presidential campaign on the Reform Party ticket. He served on the Trump 2016 campaign when it started but left the operation in the summer of 2015, though he continued to be in touch with Mr. Trump.
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There is a broad assumption that Roger Stone knows things that could put Trump in prison.
Otherwise the pardoning of Stone makes no sense. Roger Stone is not a popular figure nationally, and no one but Trump diehards feel he was railroaded. This is bad for Trump politically.
Mitt Romney is right.
I'm sorry to say this but it no longer matters. Mueller and others have remained quiet too long. This reminds of the recent joint statement from Rubio and Warner reassuring the public that they are committed to protecting whistle blowers......... This comes after the republicans and the administration have demolished whistle blowers. Rubio is a phucking liar. Nothing he or other republicans say can be believed. As for Warner, I have no idea what he thinks he can do. The time to protect whistle blowers is probably before they are forced out not after. What a total joke.
They have made themselves irrelevant.
And silenced all whistle blowers who might come forward in the future.
You mean they didn't learn that from Obama?
Bobbie's investigation was, for the most part, run properly. What makes it illegitimate is the actions and methods used to get the investigation going as well as some players like Stzrok (or how ever the fuck it's spelled).
That being said. The "convictions" were all process convictions. Nothing for what he was investigating. While the left and Democrats call that a victory, it's still a loss on their part. Not to mention an embarrassment to the country.
Now, to address the bitching, crying and whining by the left about Roger Stone's sentence. President Trump did not pardon or reverse the conviction. All the President did was set it up so Stone will not see the inside of a prison for that sentence. It happens more times than you realize. So you can stop your temper tantrums (on this part). You still have your petty "victory".
Roger Stone wasn't pardoned. Stone remains convicted but isn't required to be incarcerated.
Roger Stone wasn't prosecuted and convicted for any activities concerning 'collusion' with Russia. Stone was prosecuted and convicted for activities that would have been legal if he were not being investigated. Mueller's investigation created the crimes by investigating Roger Stone.
The intelligence community was incapable of preventing Russian activities during the 2016 election. And the judicial bureaucracy was incapable of prosecuting and convicting Russia. So, it was necessary for investigative over reach to create crimes and establish the illusion of accomplishing something. If Russia interference really was that big a problem for the election then the time for action was before the election, not after.
Robert Mueller was engaged in a political exercise to corral the horse after it had left the barn. Russia was the horse. And Mueller was investigating anyone who had seen a horse. The Mueller investigation was one of the stupidest political circle jerks that has been foisted on the American public in quite a while.
Bullshit. It is ALWAYS illegal to lie to Congress and intimidate witnesses whether you are being investigated or not.
As is EVERY investigation of a crime against the United States.
So, what's your point? Did she show up? Did she answer questions? How many hours did she sit there and answer questions? Did she refuse any subpoenas?
What a pathetic and uneducated comment. [Deleted]
Then you must feel the same about the 36 times Trump said the same thing in his written answers to Mueller.
Oh and Trump knew the questions for weeks before he submitted his answers.
Members of the intelligence community lied to Congress, in an official capacity. Roger Stone wasn't a government official. Everyone is imposing a higher standard of accountability on private citizens than on government officials.
The investigation created the crime. Roger Stone was prosecuted and convicted for activities relating to the process of investigation itself; not for activities being investigated. Robert Mueller created the crime; Mueller did not uncover a crime.
If you are talking about surveillance, funny that not even the republican run congress did anything about it.
The investigation did not create a crime. What created a crime was trying to obstruct an investigation and trying to intimidate a witness.
So you aren't curious enough to look them up online. Got ya.
Sure you could XD.
WHO? Name them.
Irrelevant.
Whataboutism.
What a bunch of blather. Roger Stone was prosecuted for lying to CONGRESS and intimidating a witness.
Mueller didn't create the crime of lying to CONGRESS.
Mueller uncovered the truth and proved that Stone didn't tell that truth to CONGRESS.
Haven't seen so much spin since that tornado last year.