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The case of Roger Stone

The case of Roger Stone

In the early 1970s, I had a modest association with Roger Stone, when we both worked at the White House.  I did not particularly like him then—and have found no reason to change my view in the ensuing years.

Stone is among those who seem to believe that politics – by its very nature – is a sleazy business, and the best route to success is to be … well … sleazy.  Ironically, men like Stone are not responding to sleaziness inherent in the profession but are creating the examples that give politics its bad name.

This is not a one-party problem.  One of the granddaddies of dirty tricks was carried out by the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.  I am referring to the creation of that totally phony dossier that was used against the Trump presidency.  Quite simply, agents of the Clinton campaign paid big money to have former British intelligence agents collude with Russian operatives to manufacture a false document – and then pass it on to cohorts in the FBI to be used to trigger a bogus investigation that played out for most of the Trump presidency.

With my negative opinion of Stone, I find it an unhappy obligation to come to his defense – even partially.

If not the victim of prosecutorial abuse, Stone was most certainly the victim of overly zealous and politicized prosecution.  The prosecutorial team was composed of lawyers who were significantly biased against President Trump.  They were at least in the second ring of those leading the #NeverTrump Resistance Movement’s “insurance policy” intended to bring down the Trump presidency from the very onset.

This means that the prosecutors in the case were NOT looking for justice, but to make Stone another millstone (no pun intended) around the neck of the President.  In the parlance of the Justice Department, they were going to “over book” stone – and then seek to get a sentence that would make any of his crimes look like Class A felonies.

After obtaining convictions on all the charges – some legitimate and others dubious, to say the least – they request an unprecedented 10-year in prison – potentially a life sentence considering Stone’s age.  The prosecution team went ballistic when the higher-ups in the Justice Department withdrew the prosecutors’ recommendation – leaving the decision on sentencing totally up to the judge without any specific recommendation.

The excessiveness of the original prosecutors’ request was evident when Judge Amy Berman Jackson handed down a 40 month sentence – far below what the prosecutors originally requested.

Stone was due to enter prison in a few days when Trump commuted his sentence.  In their unrelenting campaign to smear Trump at every turn, MSNBC led the news with a fake report that Trump had “pardoned” Stone.  That false claim remained on the banner at the bottom of the screen throughout mendacious the report by one of the networks more maliciously biased hosts, Ali Velshi.

In fact, Trump did NOT pardon Stone.  He commuted the prison sentence – something President Obama did a record-breaking 1100 times.  A commutation is far far different than a pardon.  Trump essentially kept the conviction in place but eliminated any time in jail.  This means that Stone is still presumed guilty, but he can pursue his desire for a re-trail from home.

Part of the consideration was Stone’s age and underlying medical conditions.  He is in a high-risk category for Covid-19.  Thousands of non-violent prisoners are currently being released from prison because the penitentiaries are petri dishes for the disease.  Were not Stone a case with political implications, he would most likely be among those let out – or not incarcerated in the firsts place.  Trump turncoat, Michael Cohen has been released early – as has been Paul Manafort.

Nothing would be better for Stone – and the nation – than to have a fairly conducted re-trial – sans the politically bias-driven prosecution.  Let the chips fall where they may – and let any sentencing, if there is a conviction, be fair and proportionate.

Like Marc Antony speaking over the body of Caesar, I am not here to praise.  But I firmly believe that even people I do not like or respect are entitled to fair and unbiased justice.  That is – or at least should be – the American way.

So, there ‘tis.

About The Author

Larry Horist

So, there ‘tis… The opinions, perspectives and analyses of businessman, conservative writer and political strategist Larry Horist. Larry has an extensive background in economics and public policy. For more than 40 years, he ran his own Chicago based consulting firm. His clients included such conservative icons as Steve Forbes and Milton Friedman. He has served as a consultant to the Nixon White House and travelled the country as a spokesman for President Reagan’s economic reforms. Larry professional emphasis has been on civil rights and education. He was consultant to both the Chicago and the Detroit boards of education, the Educational Choice Foundation, the Chicago Teachers Academy and the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. Larry has testified as an expert witness before numerous legislative bodies, including the U. S. Congress, and has lectured at colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northwestern and DePaul. He served as Executive Director of the City Club of Chicago, where he led a successful two-year campaign to save the historic Chicago Theatre from the wrecking ball. Larry has been a guest on hundreds of public affairs talk shows, and hosted his own program, “Chicago In Sight,” on WIND radio. An award-winning debater, his insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries have appeared on the editorial pages of newspapers across the nation. He is praised by audiences for his style, substance and sense of humor. Larry retired from his consulting business to devote his time to writing. His books include a humorous look at collecting, “The Acrapulators’ Guide”, and a more serious history of the Democratic Party’s role in de facto institutional racism, “Who Put Blacks in That PLACE? -- The Long Sad History of the Democratic Party’s Oppression of Black Americans ... to This Day”. Larry currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

2 Comments

  1. John Kellerman

    The biggest hoax in the history of the world is how Stone ended up being convicted. They tried him in D.C. where the democrat has a 94% majority, knowing they would be able to convict him, along with a rogue judge that refused him a retrial. President Trump should have actually given him a full pardon.

  1. As the election nears, the author seems ever nervous and seems even willing to sacrifice his principles to the cause.…