Trump retweets message calling for Roger Stone pardon: ‘He can sleep well at night!’

President Trump on Thursday tweeted that Roger Stone can “sleep well at night” in response to a tweet from conservative activist Charlie Kirk that called for a pardon of the political operative, who is set to begin a prison term soon.

The tweet is sure to ramp up talk that Trump intends to pardon Stone, who was convicted of lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing a proceeding. He is set to report to prison by June 30. 

Stone was charged in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and was sentenced to 40 months in prison in February. 

Kirk said Stone was being punished for supporting Trump and asked followers to retweet for a “full pardon of Stone.”

Trump, in response, said Stone was a victim of a witch hunt and a political crime, words he has repeatedly used to describe investigations of his campaign and officials in his government .

No. Roger was a victim of a corrupt and illegal Witch Hunt, one which will go down as the greatest political crime in history. He can sleep well at night! https://t.co/HHg24tcZrx

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2020

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for further comment from The Hill. 

The president has repeatedly voiced outrage over Stone’s treatment during the trial for charges stemming from Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump said in February that Stone had a “very good chance of exoneration” after his sentencing. 

But at the time, Trump said he would let the “process play out,” noting that he wouldn’t do “anything in terms of the great powers bestowed upon a president of the United States.”  

Stone’s lawyers requested a new trial after raising concerns over the political leanings of one of the jurors. Accusations about the juror had prompted Trump to allege that the trial was rigged against his former adviser. 

A federal judge rejected the request in April, saying in an 80-page opinion that Stone’s lawyers failed to show that the juror misrepresented her feelings about Stone or Trump or that any alleged bias tainted the verdict. 

The Bureau of Prisons said last week that Stone is due to report to federal prison by June 30. Stone has been living in his home in Florida since his arrest last year.