众议院情报委员会主席亚当·希夫抨击共和党未能与总统对抗因为没有捍卫“法治”，在总统之后搬到通勤他的老朋友、前竞选顾问罗杰·斯通被判入狱。
希夫在接受美国广播公司(ABC)首席新闻主播乔治斯特凡诺普洛斯(George Stephanopoulos)采访时表示:“我认为，任何关心美国法治的人都会对总统为故意向国会撒谎的人减刑这一事实感到恶心。”
希夫补充说:“不管你是民主党人还是共和党人，这都无关紧要，如果你关心法治，关心正义，这应该是对你的冒犯。”
众议员亚当·希夫(Adam Schiff)抨击共和党对特朗普获得斯通减刑一事保持沉默:“共和党人不会捍卫法治，不会捍卫司法部的独立性……这是一项共和党主导的调查，罗杰·斯通对其撒了谎。”https://t.co/OIBN1nggXMpic.twitter.com/R3GFGQwoci
—本周(@ThisWeekABC)2020年7月12日
斯通因与前特别顾问罗伯特·穆勒调查俄罗斯干涉2016年总统选举有关的活动而受到审查，并在11月被判有罪后被判处40个月监禁。预计他将于7月14日向监狱报到。
虽然减刑可以减刑，但只有赦免才能使定罪完全无效。
众议院议长南希·佩洛西(Nancy Pelosi)周六宣布，她打算在众议院通过立法，以确保没有一位总统可以赦免或减刑一名参与掩盖活动以保护总统免受刑事起诉的个人。
但是，在共和党控制的参议院下，限制总统赦免权的立法几乎不可能成为法律。还不清楚国会是否有宪法权力限制总统的赦免权。
希夫说，他几个月前提出了一项立法，要求如果总统赦免了某个案件中的证人、主体或目标，调查档案必须移交给国会。
“但是唐纳德·特朗普明白他已经吓退了这些共和党人。他们不会反抗他，他们不会捍卫法治。希夫说:“这意味着我们将不得不等到明年通过这项立法，以阻止进一步滥用赦免或减刑的权力。”
当斯特凡诺普洛斯问及特朗普的行为是否是可弹劾的罪行时，希夫说，如果特朗普滥用赦免权来保护自己免于刑事责任，那就是可弹劾的。
但是，希夫指出，“如果共和党连一句话都不说，他们当然不会投票弹劾和定罪。”
两名共和党人公开谴责特朗普的决定。
犹他州共和党参议员米特·罗姆尼(Mitt Romney)称这一举措是“前所未有的历史性腐败”，并在推特上写道，“一位美国总统为一位被陪审团判定为撒谎以保护总统的人减刑。”
帕·图米参议员。，称特朗普的减刑是一个“错误”
“总统显然有法律和宪法权力对联邦罪行给予宽大处理。然而，任何总统都应该明智地使用这一权力，而且这种情况很少发生。图梅在一份声明中说:“虽然我理解对俄罗斯串通舞弊调查的失望，但在我看来，将罗杰·斯通的判决减刑是一个错误。”
新闻:众议员亚当·希夫对罗杰·斯通说:“我想任何关心这个国家法治的人都会感到恶心，因为总统已经为故意向国会撒谎、为总统掩饰的人减刑了……”https://t.co/OIBN1nggXMpic.twitter.com/2RbDx7iQqs
—本周(@ThisWeekABC)2020年7月12日
斯特凡诺普洛斯问希夫是否同意纽约州众议员哈基姆·杰弗里斯的观点，后者周五在推特上表示，如果前副总统拜登赢得选举，特朗普和斯通应该被起诉。
希夫表示反对，并表示这是拜登必须在适当的时候做出的决定。
希夫说:“我并不羡慕这个决定的难度。”“为什么不把指挥和协调的人送进监狱?但这将是乔·拜登必须做出的决定。”
Rep. Adam Schiff blasts GOP for failing to stand up to Trump, not defending the 'rule of law'
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., blasted Republicans for failing to stand up to the president andfor not defending the"rule of law," after the presidentmoved to commutethe prison sentence of his longtime friend and former campaign adviser, Roger Stone.
"I think anyone who cares about the rule of law in this country is nauseated by the fact that the president has commuted the sentence of someone who willfully lied to Congress," Schiff told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on "This Week" Sunday.
"It shouldn't matter whether you're Democrat or Republican, this should be offensive to you if you care about the rule of law and you care about justice," Schiff added.
Rep. Adam Schiff slams GOP for silence on Trump's Stone commutation: “Republicans won’t stand up for the rule of law, won’t stand up for the independence of the Justice Department … this was a Republican-led investigation that Roger Stone lied to.”https://t.co/OIBN1nggXMpic.twitter.com/R3GFGQwoci
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC)July 12, 2020
Stone came under scrutiny for activity related to former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and was sentenced to 40 months in prison after he was found guilty in November. He was expected to report to prison on July 14.
While a commutation reduces a sentence, only a pardon nullifies a conviction entirely.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday announced that she intends to pass legislation in the House to ensure that no president can pardon or commute the sentence of an individual who is engaged in a cover-up campaign to shield that president from criminal prosecution.
But legislation limiting the president's ability to grant clemency has almost no chance of becoming law under a Republican-controlled Senate. It's also unclear if Congress has the constitutional authority to limit the president's clemency powers.
Schiff said he introduced legislation months ago that would require investigative files be turned over to Congress if the president pardons someone in a case in which they are a witness, subject or target.
"ButDonald Trumpunderstands that he has these Republicans cowed. They won't stand up to him, they won't defend the rule of law. And then that means that we will have to wait until next year to pass this legislation to discourage further abuses of the pardon or commutation powers," Schiff said.
When asked by Stephanopoulos if Trump's action was an impeachable offense, Schiff said it would be if Trump abused the pardon power to protect himself from criminal liability.
But, Schiff noted, "If the Republicans won't even say a word, of course they're not going to vote to impeach and convict."
Two Republicans have spoken out to denounce Trump's decision.
GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah described the move as "unprecedented, historic corruption," and tweeted, "An American president commutes the sentence of a person convicted by a jury of lying to shield that very president."
Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., called Trump's commutation a "mistake."
"The president clearly has the legal and constitutional authority to grant clemency for federal crimes. However, this authority should be used judiciously and very rarely by any president. While I understand the frustration with the badly flawed Russia-collusion investigation, in my view, commuting Roger Stone's sentence is a mistake," Toomey said in a statement.
NEW: Rep. Adam Schiff on Roger Stone: “I think anyone who cares about the rule of law in this country is nauseated by the fact that the president has commuted the sentence of someone who willfully lied to Congress, covered up for the president …”https://t.co/OIBN1nggXMpic.twitter.com/2RbDx7iQqs
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC)July 12, 2020
Stephanopoulos asked if Schiff agreed with Rep. Hakeem Jeffires, D-N.Y., who tweeted on Friday that Trump and Stone should be indicted if former Vice President Biden wins the election.
Schiff demurred and said that was a decision Biden would have to make at the appropriate time.
"I don't envy the difficulty of that decision," Schiff said. "What's the argument not to have the person who did the directing and coordinating go to jail? But that'll be a decision Joe Biden will have to make."
