Trump Announces He Won't Pardon Roger Stone for the Time Being

Trump Announces Decision on Roger Stone Pardon

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By Jack Davis

Published February 21, 2020 at 8:53am

President Donald Trump on Thursday lashed out at the trial of ally Roger Stone but said he will not act soon on any possible pardon.

The president spoke at a graduation ceremony for the Hope for Prisoners program in Las Vegas. During his speech, he took time to address the fact that despite Trump’s objections, Stone was sentenced Thursday to 40 months in prison.

“Now, you see a lot of press back there,” the president said. “So before we go any further, I want to address today’s sentencing of a man, Roger Stone. Roger Stone. He’s become a big part of the news over the last little while. And I’m following this very closely, and I want to see it play out to its fullest because Roger has a very good chance of exoneration, in my opinion.

“I’ve known — and you people understand it probably better than anybody in the room — I’ve known Roger Stone and his wife, who’s really a terrific woman, for a long time. And Roger is definitely a character. Everybody sort of knows Roger. Everybody knows him. And most people like him. Some people probably don’t, but I do and I always have. He’s a smart guy. He’s a little different. But those are sometimes the most interesting. But he’s a good person.”

Trump said characterizations of Stone as a Trump campaign worker are false.

“Roger was never involved in the Trump campaign for president. He wasn’t involved. I think early on, long before I announced, he may have done a little consulting work or something, but he was not involved when I ran for president. And he’s a person who, again, he knows a lot of people having to do with politics. His whole life is politics. That’s what he is,” he said.

Trump then called out Tomeka Hart, the jury forewoman in the Stone case, who after it had been tried was revealed to have made social media posts against Trump and about Stone before he was convicted.

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