A disgraced former campaign adviser to Donald Trump has been jailed for 40 months for lying to investigators.
Roger Stone, 67, was handed the sentence at a federal court in Washington DC Thursday, amid mounting speculation President Trump will offer him a pardon.
The president has branded Stoneβs conviction a βmiscarriage of justice,β and hit out at it on Twitter during Stoneβs sentencing hearing, claiming former FBI bosses James Comey and Andrew McCabe had gotten away with lying.
Trump tweeted: ββThey say Roger Stone lied to Congress.β
βOH, I see, but so did Comey (and he also leaked classified information, for which almost everyone, other than Crooked Hillary Clinton, goes to jail for a long time), and so did Andy McCabe, who also lied to the FBI! FAIRNESS?
Sentencing Stone, Judge Amy Berman Jackson said the US Justice Departments recommendation that Stone serve between seven and nine years behind bars was excessive.
But she also hit out at attempts to minimize his crimes, saying: βThe truth still exists, the truth still mattersβ¦
βRoger Stoneβs insistence that it doesnβt, his belligerence, his pride in his own lies are a threat to our most fundamental institutions, to the foundations of our democracies.β
She also hit out at Trumpβs βwholly inappropriateβ tweets on the case.
Stone was also convicted of witness tampering in November after he mislead congressional investigators probing Russian meddling into the 2016 presidential election.
He then meddled with a key witness βin order to make sure his obstruction would be successful.β
Stone arrived at court Wednesday wearing a smart navy coat, black fedora hat and sunglasses.
The criminal, who was flanked by wife Nydia, has repeatedly blasted proceedings against him as βpolitically motivated.β
