Judge in Roger Stone case wants more information about the scope of clemency
WASHINGTON – U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson is seeking more information about the scope of President Donald Trump's executive order commuting the sentence of his longtime ally, Roger Stone.
Jackson on Monday ordered parties to give her a copy of the executive order commuting Stone's sentence and to clarify if the clemency also covers supervised release, which the political operative would have had to serve after his prison sentence.
The judge sentenced Stone to a little over three years in prison and two years on probation. Jackson said her inquiry was in response questions from the U.S. Probation Office.
Stone gets clemency: Trump grants clemency to ally Roger Stone after railing against 'unfair' conviction, sentencing
Trump commuted Stone's sentence late Friday, just days before longtime GOP consultant was set to report to prison. Democrats condemned the move, the latest in a series of instances in which Trump has wielded his broad clemency powers in highly political criminal cases.
The president has granted pardons and commutations to several conservative allies and controversial figures, including Joe Arpaio, a former sheriff in Arizona, and commentator Dinesh D'Souza. His decision to commute Stone's sentence represents the first time Trump has circumvented the justice system in a case directly tied to himself.
Stone was convicted in November of lying to Congress and obstructing its investigation on Russian election interference in order to protect Trump. The 67-year-old was one of several Trump associates to be convicted in cases stemming from former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.
Contributing: John Fritze and Kevin Johnson
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Roger Stone: Amy Berman Jackson seeks details on Trump clemency
