WASHINGTON 12 Jul (ANA) - Former US special counsel Robert Mueller has made a rare public intervention to defend his indictment of former Trump adviser Roger Stone.

 

Stone was found guilty on charges linked to an investigation led by Mr Mueller that found Russia tried to boost the Trump 2016 election campaign.

 

President Donald Trump commuted Stone's 40-month jail sentence on Friday saying he was the victim of a "witch-hunt".

 

In the Washington Post, Mr Mueller said Stone was rightly a convicted felon.

 

Stone was convicted of obstruction, witness tampering and lying to Congress.

 

The president's move - sparing Stone from jail but not a pardon - came just after a court denied Stone's request to delay the start date of his prison term.

 

Leading Democrats and a few Republicans have condemned Mr Trump's decision, saying it undermined the justice system.

 

The White House said that Department of Justice prosecutors under Mr Mueller only charged Stone out of frustration after failing to prove the "fantasy" that the Trump campaign had colluded with the Kremlin.

 

Mr Mueller writes that he felt compelled to respond to claims that his investigation had been illegitimate, his motives improper, and Stone a victim.

 

"The Russia investigation was of paramount importance. Stone was prosecuted and convicted because he committed federal crimes. He remains a convicted felon, and rightly so," he wrote.

 

He said that finding evidence of Russian interference was a complex task that took "two years and substantial effort" and resulted in a number of charges and prosecutions. Stone's obstruction may have impeded efforts to find the truth and hold wrongdoers accountable, he added.

 

"We made every decision in Stone's case, as in all our cases, based solely on the facts and the law and in accordance with the rule of law," he concluded. "The women and men who conducted these investigations and prosecutions acted with the highest integrity. Claims to the contrary are false."

 

Mr Mueller rarely makes public statements about the investigation, and the article is the first since he gave testimony in Congress in July 2019.

 

His reaction follows strong condemnation by senior Democrats, with presidential contender Joe Biden's spokesman accusing Mr Trump of abuse of power and "laying waste" to US values.

 

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said it showed Mr Trump was the most corrupt president in history.

 

Some Republican critics of Mr Trump have also spoken out, with Senator Mitt Romney describing the president's decision as "unprecedented, historic corruption".(ANA)

FA/ANA/12 July 2020-------