Trump not only spared Stone from serving 40 months in a federal prison camp, his order also releases Stone from house arrest, two years on probation and a $20,000 fine imposed by the court for his crimes, the order shows.
Later Monday, the Justice Department and Stone’s legal team sent the court documents showing his entire sentence had been commuted. The department noted in its submissions that Stone’s multiple convictions “still stand.”
Stone was told around Wednesday of last week that he’d be getting a call on Friday from Trump to commute his sentence, according to a person familiar with the matter. Stone sat by his cell phone all of Friday — the day Trump announced the commutation — waiting for the call that was supposed to come at varying times, they said.
Trump’s decision to commute the sentence of his friend and political adviser is the crescendo of a months-long effort to rewrite the history of the Mueller investigation. The President has broad constitutional power to pardon or commute sentences, but Trump is unlike almost any other president in how he’s used the power proactively to save political allies.
Stone had publicly lobbied for Trump to give him a full pardon. Following Trump’s commutation, Stone’s attorney said last week that his client was “incredibly honored that President Trump used his awesome and unique power under the Constitution of the United States for this act of mercy.”
This story has been updated with additional developments Monday.
