(Bloomberg) -- An inflatable rat with a Donald Trump hairdo, supporters eager for a presidential pardon and a long line of news reporters and spectators have gathered at a Washington court this morning for the sentencing of Roger Stone.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson is scheduled to hand down one of the most closely watched sentences of the year, after the president tweeted last week that an initial recommendation by federal prosecutors of 7 to 9 years in prison for Stone was “unfair.” The Justice Department later revised that recommendation to 3 to 4 years, and four prosecutors on the initial recommendation withdrew from the case. Democrats in Congress have called for an investigation.
Michael Caputo, a long-time friend of Roger Stone’s and himself a former Trump campaign official, said there are now about 160,000 signatures on a petition calling for a presidential pardon. Trump on Tuesday pardoned financier Michael Milken and former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.
Stone, entering the courtroom with his wife, declined to comment.
The president overnight tweeted out a quote from Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
To contact the reporters on this story: Erik Larson in New York at elarson4@bloomberg.net;Billy House in Washington at bhouse5@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tina Davis at tinadavis@bloomberg.net, Anthony Lin
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