Usually, white-collar criminals are allowed to turn themselves in. He wasn’t a flight risk and was released on modest bail.
However, Judge Jackson put a gag order on Stone and perhaps more significantly, Judge Jackson said his defense lawyers were not allowed to bring up the fact that the government was never able to show proof the Russians were behind the ‘stolen’ emails given to WikiLeaks at the heart of the entire case.
After his conviction, the highly-partisan prosecutors recommended an absurd, draconian sentence of ten years for Stone, for his victimless crimes.
Stone is set to report to the federal corrections facility at Jesup, Georgia, where prison guards and employees and their union have complained about lack of masks, lack of gloves, no hand-washing regimens and no efforts at internal social distancing.
As Target Liberty wrote, “Stone has been a loyal soldier to Trump. He has never once said a negative word though under enormous pressure from the anti-Trump establishment to do so. And it should not be forgotten by Trump that it is the establishment crowd, that is going after Trump, that is also going after Stone.”
Stone could have easily gotten himself out of being prosecuted by simply testifying to whatever the anti-Trump prosecutors wanted him to say against Trump. The prosecutors would not have cared much if what Stone testified was true or not. Leading witnesses to say what prosecutors want to hear is a high art form at the Department of Justice.
Stone was on their hit list. Not only for supporting Trump but also for going after the ruling elite. His published books are full-frontal attacks on those who some might call the Deep State’s premier representatives.
- The Man Who Killed Kennedy: The Case Against LBJ
- The Bush Crime Family: The Inside Story of an American Dynasty
- The Clintons’ War on Women
At this point, Trump has an opportunity to show the world he is not finished. Many in the mainstream media have already ruled him out for a second term.
You can talk all you want. Trump can proclaim a grand message of patriotism and of standing up against the radical left, as he did at Mount Rushmore on July 4th – and by pardoning Stone, he will also send a loud message:
He stood up for his friend. He took the chance that it might be politically unpopular to pardon his supporter that he admits was unjustly prosecuted.
Everyone will understand. Sure the mainstream media will howl. But everyone, even those on the fence, understands loyalty.
Everyone from God to a clump of grass understands loyalty and sticking up for a friend. Trump won’t lose a vote. He might energize his supporters. He may make some on-the-fence folks hop to his side.
Even if you disagree with Trump or dislike Roger Stone, you will have to admit somewhere in your heart that this is what you would do for your own friend in need.
And if you wouldn’t stand up for your friend, who stood up for you, and protect him, when you could, in his crucial hour of need, then you wouldn’t have voted for Trump anyway. I am not even sure you could qualify to vote for anyone, not being a member of the human race.
Roger Stone is a dirty man. He was convicted in a fair trial. An easy task for the jury, since his lies under oath were very obvious. He got what he deserved. And Trump should forget about him and let him spend his 3 years in prison.
Your continued advocacy on his behalf shows that there’s something wrong with you.
Why would Trump pardon Roger the Dodger just to prevent him from catching a Democratic hoax?
And Joe Biden will show his courage by hiding under the daybed in his basement so he does not catch the COVID-19 virus.
President Trump is very probably waiting for the election to take place before issuing a pardon. Pardoning Stone might not be entirely political suicide, but it definitely would be political self-harm.
Many years ago, an African Gray parrot landed at the little Lake Worth, Fl airport during a category two hurricane. The dear fellow lived with my daughter until a good, permanent home was found for him. This took about a year. We’ve stayed friends with him always, by now at least a dozen years. He’s a young gentleman of leisure and is in his fifties. Amazing, isn’t it?
Whoever helped him to learn to speak was not only British but understood the avian world well. Torn from his home by storm, our buddy, Victor/Victoria, didn’t say a word for months.
However, one day he became aggravated by a voice on the tv. He started sputtering quite indignantly and ruffling his head feathers into a tower of fluttering motion, and his chest puffed. He had needed to feel at home before he said a word, you see. He was starting to feel that degree of relaxation.
About 3 days later, he heard the same voice coming from the television, and he was off again. Suddenly this marvelous Gray said, commandingly and crisply, “stop with the abstractions!”
Parrot lovers understand that big birds who talk do not deal with the abstract, but here was one very hip bird.
The voice on the television was present too often for Victor/Victoria, and eventually the tv had to get moved to another part of the house. Since this enemy of Victor’s was on the tube constantly, this never failed to arouse Victor’s ire, and we didn’t have the heart to move Victor/Victoria.
It was the voice of Donald Trump, and this was before he was “elected” POTUS. And at last, we were all introduced to Victor/Victoria’s splendid vocabulary.
These days our fine Gray boy has a full-blown abstract relationship of his very own, and he enjoys bossing around and also questioning that digital woman thingymabob, Alexa. Victor/Victoria loves to have Alexa change the lighting. He’s so romantic.
Watch for a move by the Trumpster, if he is going to help Roger at all, on or after this coming July 12th. Cutting it close, eh?
Of course, this prediction could be wrong. We’ll see.
You’re [redacted]
To be more detailed than Frank’s own sense of loyalty to his good friend might permit; while Frank’s assessment of Judge Berman’s possible political bias bears weight (IMO), he omits mention of the fact that she gag-ordered Stone only after he tweeted out a post of her image with a gun target next to her head.
Stone, at first, blamed this rash and disturbing act — which might be misconstrued into any number of Federal felony charges — on (albeit unnamed) MAGA volunteers but recanted after lying *during* his court appearance before her under her questioning, under oath.
As for Frank’s loyalty to Stone, I can see where he might be eternally grateful for the good pals (Steve Pigeon included) who recommended and introduced Frank to NXIVM and made all his born days pretty much a litigious living hell thereafter bc Frank values his spiritual advancement far more than any earthly delights as far as I can tell.
I would love to see a show of loyalty and strong sense of justice from the POTUS on any account at this point.
Stone is a criminal who deserves to spend hard time in jail. The crimes he was convicted of committing, by a jury of his peers, threaten our democracy.
But you are right, he was a loyal crony, and Trump will probably pardon him for that reason.
Great article, Frank. You are a loyal, good friend.
I don’t know if Trump is that loyal.
Wouldn’t it be best for Roger Stone to flee? Like Polanski? I honestly don’t know if Trump is loyal. To whom has he been loyal to in the past?
I think you also make a strong point. Not pardoning Stone hurts Trump’s base.
The Mexican president is flying tomorrow to DC. I think it all to show Obama and Biden corruption with Mexico. Maybe Trump doesn’t even care about Roger Stone at this point. If he is a narcissist as many say he is, he is not expected to be loyal.
Roger is a heroic individual and deserves not only a pardon but a medal