[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunjin Jung] The Democratic Party has strongly condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s commutation of the sentence for Roger Stone, his '40-year-old' friend and unofficial aide who is about to serve time on charges related to the 'Russia scandal.' Some criticism has also arisen within the Republican Party, drawing attention to how this might affect the November presidential election.
According to the Associated Press and others on the 11th (local time), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Roger Stone’s commutation announced the previous day a "shocking act of corruption," emphasizing the need for laws that can prevent a president from pardoning or commuting sentences to protect someone.
Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who led the impeachment over the 'Ukraine scandal,' strongly criticized the move on Twitter as the most severe "disrespect for the rule of law," likening President Trump to a "mafia boss." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, "America’s ideal of fair justice is once again being weakened by a lawless president who treats the Department of Justice as a personal plaything."
Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden criticized the commutation via Twitter as another example of Trump acting as if he is above the law. Bill Russo, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign, said, "President Trump announced the commutation on a Friday night to divert attention while devastating the norms and values that made our country a shining light to the rest of the world, once again abusing his power." He added, "He has no shame," and said, "Only when the American people vote this fall can he be stopped."
Criticism has also emerged within the Republican Party regarding this commutation. Senator Mitt Romney, a prominent 'anti-Trump' figure within the GOP, pointed out on Twitter, "An unprecedented historic corruption: the President of the United States commutes the sentence of someone convicted by a jury after lying to defend himself." Republican Senator Pat Toomey also expressed disappointment with the commutation, stating that the Russia-related investigation had serious flaws and that if Stone was innocent, the matter should have been resolved through appeals or other measures.
In response, the White House issued a statement describing Stone as a "victim of the left’s Russia hoax," and President Trump claimed on Twitter that Stone had been the target of a witch hunt and that it was Obama and Biden who committed crimes.
On the same day, The New York Times (NYT) published an article titled "Trump Commutes Stone’s Sentence, Crossing a Line Nixon Would Not," stating, "President Trump has said he learned from former President Richard Nixon’s loss of public trust, but by using presidential powers to pull his friend and aide Roger Stone out of prison, he crossed a line that even Nixon, mired in the Watergate scandal, dared not cross." The NYT noted, "Among former presidents, Nixon was the one who did not exercise pardon powers to help his 'friends,' although he secretly promised pardons to some aides involved in Watergate but did not follow through."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
