President Donald Trump’s longtime ally Roger Stone has been sentenced to 40 months in prison on Thursday.
The 67-year-old Stone will also serve two years of probation following his prison sentence, and must pay $20,000 in fines, USA Today reported.
The sentencing was well below the Department of Justice’s previous sentencing recommendation of seven to nine years, which U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said was excessive.
In November, Stone was found guilty of seven counts, which included lying to Congress, obstructing their Russian meddling investigation, and threatening a witness.
Judge Jackson said Stone “took it upon himself to lie, to impede, to obstruct before the investigation was complete, in an endeavor to influence the result.”
“The truth still exists, the truth still matters,” she added. “Roger Stone insisted that it doesn’t.”
Earlier this month, four prosecutors withdrew from Stone’s case in protest after the Department of Justice overruled their sentencing recommendation.
U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr had declared the 7-9-year sentencing recommendation excessive, and ordered the recommendation revised.
More than 1,100 former DOJ officials signed a petition calling for Barr’s resignation after the move.
Trump criticized the sentencing on Thursday, tweeting, “‘They say Roger Stone lied to Congress.’ @CNN OH, I see, but so did Comey (and he also leaked classified information, for which almost everyone, other than Crooked Hillary Clinton, goes to jail for a long time), and so did Andy McCabe, who also lied to the FBI! FAIRNESS?”
“They say Roger Stone lied to Congress.” @CNN OH, I see, but so did Comey (and he also leaked classified information, for which almost everyone, other than Crooked Hillary Clinton, goes to jail for a long time), and so did Andy McCabe, who also lied to the FBI! FAIRNESS?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 20, 2020
Trump also retweeted a clip from Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, who defended Stone and said Trump should pardon him.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 20, 2020
