Roger Stone A Free Man: Trump Commutes Former Adviser's Sentence

WASHINGTON, DC — President Donald Trump Friday evening commuted the sentence of former adviser and longtime confidant Roger Stone, the so-called dirty trickster of American politics, after hinting to reporters earlier in the day that he was "looking at the possibility."

Stone, 67, was convicted in a trial last year of lying to Congress and witness tampering, and was sentenced in February to three years and four months in prison. Stone was found guilty by a jury of all seven felony charges brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as part of the Russia investigation.

"I think Roger Stone was very unfairly treated as were many people," Trump said before boarding Air Force One to visit South Florida on Friday.

The White House later confirmed the president signed an executive grant of clemency commuting what officials described as Stone's "unjust" sentence.

"Roger Stone is a victim of the Russia Hoax that the left and its allies in the media perpetuated for years in an attempt to undermine the Trump Presidency," White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. "There was never any collusion between the Trump campaign, or the Trump administration, with Russia."

Stone spent five decades as a consultant to high-profile Republicans, including former President Ronald Reagan and former Republican Senate leader Bob Dole.

McEnany said Stone is also well known for his outspoken support for President Trump and his opposition to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

"Such collusion was never anything other than a fantasy of partisans unable to accept the result of the 2016 election," McEnany said. "The collusion delusion spawned endless and farcical investigations, conducted at great taxpayer expense, looking for evidence that did not exist."

Trump's action came after a federal appeals court earlier in the day denied the former Trump aide's emergency bid to stay out of prison, National Public Radio and other news organizations are reporting. Stone was to have reported to prison on Tuesday.

Patch's Paul Scicchitano contributed to this report.

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