Roger Stone expressed gratitude Monday night to Fox News host Tucker Carlson during his first TV appearance since receiving a commutation from President Donald Trump.
“When you go through something like this, Sean, you find out who your real friends are and who the people are who really never were your friends,” Stone said during an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity.” (RELATED: Top Mueller Prosecutor Admits ‘We Made Mistakes’ In Upcoming Memoir)
“I have to really single out your Fox News colleague, Tucker Carlson. He took up the cudgels early,” said Stone of the Daily Caller co-founder. “He stayed on this case with every twist and turn, wasn’t afraid to take on the judge, laid out the jury question, encouraged me when I got discouraged. He’s a man of incredible loyalty and he’s a great friend. He may be the best friend a man can have, so my hat’s off to him.”
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Stone went on to thank Turning Point USA’s Charlkie Kirk, Republican Flordia Rep. Matt Gaetz, former NYPD commissioner Bernard Kerik and Rev. Franklin Graham. (RELATED: Lindsey Graham Says He’ll Grant Request For Mueller Testimony)
“I really want to thank God because I was literally hours away from being sent to a COVID-infested prison in violation of current Bureau of Prisons and DOJ policies, in violation of every precedent in the country where people going to jail or in jail for asking for compassionate release, and in every case it was granted. I’m 67 years old. I’ve had a lifelong problem — respiratory problems. I was facing what I really believed was a near death sentence,” Stone added.
Trump commuted Stone’s 3-year jail sentence Friday after a federal judge denied his request to delay the start of his prison sentence.
A federal jury in Washington, D.C. convicted Stone on Nov. 15 on five counts of making false statements to Congress, one count of obstruction of a congressional investigation and one count of witness tampering.