U.S. Attorney General William Barr said on Wednesday the prosecution of Roger Stone, President Donald Trump’s longtime friend and adviser, was appropriate and his prison sentence of three years and four months was fair.
Trump has argued that Stone, a 67-year-old veteran Republican operative and self-described “dirty trickster,” was treated unfairly. Last month Trump declined to answer directly in a television interview when asked if he would issue Stone a pardon.
Stone was one of several Trump associates who were convicted or pleaded guilty to charges stemming from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation that detailed Russian meddling in the 2016 election to boost Trump’s candidacy.
“I think the prosecution was righteous and I think the sentence the judge ultimately gave was fair,” Barr said in an interview with ABC News.
Stone was found guilty by a jury in November last year of obstruction, witness tampering and lying to Congress under oath during its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Stone is due to report to a federal prison in Jesup, Georgia, on July 14 to start serving his sentence.
(Reporting by Eric Beech; Writing by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Leslie Adler)