Schiff: 'Anyone Who Cares' About Rule of Law 'Nauseated' by Stone Commutation
Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Adam Schiff called President Donald Trump commuting the sentence of Roger Stone “offensive” to the rule of law.
Schiff said, “I think anyone who cares about the rule of law in this country is nauseated by the fact that the president has commuted the sentence of someone who willfully lied to Congress, covered up for the president, intimidated witnesses, obstructed the investigation. It shouldn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican. This should be offensive to you if you care about the rule of law, and if you care about justice.”
He continued, “The president threw this commutation, basically saying, ‘If you lie for me, if you cover up for me, if you have my back, then I will make sure that you get a get out of jail free card.’ Other Americans, different standard. Friends of the president, accomplices of the president, they get off scot-free.”
He added, “Here you have no more than a couple of Republicans willing to say a single word about someone who came in before Congress and lied to them, intimidated witnesses, and obstructed them. And why? Because he did it to cover up for a president for their party. This is a distinction between now and Watergate. The Republicans at that time would not have stood for this, and Nixon understood that. But Donald Trump understands that he has these Republicans cowed. They won’t stand up to him. They won’t defend the rule of law.”
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