Mitt Romney lights up Twitter by condemning Trump's 'corrupt' move on Roger Stone
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Trump departs the White House, July 11, 2020, en route to the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) - Mitt Romney became the first and so far only major Republican elected official to condemn President Donald Trump's decision to commute the prison sentence of Roger Stone.
"Unprecedented, historic corruption: an American president commutes the sentence of a person convicted by a jury of lying to shield that very president," the Utah senator said on Saturday (July 11) on Twitter.
The tweet had been shared some 132,000 times and "liked" over 441,000 times shortly after 5am on Sunday Singapore time.
Trump on Friday issued a commutation for Stone, who had been sentenced to three years in prison for witness tampering and lying to Congress.
Stone had openly lobbied for a pardon or commutation from Trump by touting that he had refused to cooperate with investigators looking into possible wrongdoing by the president.
Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, was the lone Senate Republican to vote in favor of removing Trump from office at the conclusion of Trump's impeachment trial in February.
Last month, he marched with anti-racism protesters near the White House.
Romney's outspoken behaviour has led to him to be ostracised by the White House.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office had no comment on Saturday.
Other Republican office-holders have also remained silent on Trump's move in the Stone case, or have been supportive.
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Lindsey Graham on Friday said he supported a reprieve for the long-time political operative.
"In my view it would be justified if President @realDonaldTrump decided to commute Roger Stone's prison sentence. Mr Stone is in his 70s and this was a non-violent, first-time offence," Graham said on Twitter on Friday.
Stone, who came to prominence working on President Richard Nixon's 1972 campaign, is actually 67.
Romney was joined in criticising Trump on Saturday by former South Carolina Representative Mark Sanford, who ran a brief and unsuccessful primary campaign against Trump last year.
"So much for the Republican Party being the party of law and order," Sanford said in a pair of tweets.
"Pardoning someone who lies on behalf of one holding power is the mark of a third world banana republic."