i suffered with psoriasis i felt gross. people were afraid i was contagious. i was covered from head to toe. i was afraid to show my skin. it was kind of a shock after... i started cosentyx. i wasn't covered anymore. four years clear. five years now. i just look and feel better. see me. welcome to "inside cosentyx works fast to give you clear skin that can last. politics." i'm john king. real people with psoriasis look and feel better with cosentyx. thank you for sharing this very busy news day with us. we begin the hour with breaking don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. federal courtroom news. the judge in the roger stone before starting get checked for tuberculosis. trial speaking right now. an increased risk of infections that judge, amy berman jackson, and lowered ability to fight them may occur. siding several times this morning with the justice tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, department, saying roger stone's if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop crimes deserve harsh punishment. or worsen, or if you've had a may occur...s allergics the judge also pointedly asking

i look and feel better with cosentyx. the prosecution about the abrupt decision to overrule a five years is just crazy. sentencing memo written by the original four prosecutors on the see me. case, all four of whom then quit ask your dermatologist if cosentyx could help you over this dispute with the main move past the pain of psoriasis. justice department. sara murray is outside the leadership that makes a difference. vo: a great president and an effective mayor. courthouse. sara, the judge speaking very obama: he's been a leader throughout the country candidly, very strongly, saying for the past twelve years, mr. michael bloomberg is here. vo: together they worked is this all about politics? to combat gun violence, and again to improve she says no. education for every child. >> reporter: she's basically obama: i want to thank the mayor of this great city, going through everything that led up to roger stone getting mayor bloomberg, for his extraordinary leadership. i share your determination sentenced. the president argues that this to bring this country together to finally make progress for the american people. happened because he was friends bloomberg: i'm mike bloomberg, with the president. and i approve this message. the judge said this arose because roger stone characteristically injected himself smack in the middle of one of the most significant issues of the day. and she's recounting how roger stone is out there publicly, saying he was in touch with wikileaks. she's recounting how roger stone told congress he didn't have any conversations with the trump campaign about wikileaks, and

she's saying we had witnesses up here who testified you talked to the candidate himself, you talked to candidate trump about wikileaks. so she's really running through, trying to set the record straight about the facts of the case, which is, of course, particularly important in the wake of all of these attacks as seen by president trump on the judge, on the jury, on this case in general as he has defended his friend roger stone. this has sort of been a moment of contrition in this courtroom, too, from the prosecutors as these are the new prosecutors on the case. they came into the courtroom today. they apologized to the judge for the confusion that they have caused, and they repeatedly agreed with the judge that roger stone deserved harsher sentences for some of these crimes he's committed, like obstruction and witness tampering. ultimately they said they would defer to the judge and that they trusted the court to impose a fair sentence. you know, another sort of swipe at the president there who has insisted throughout this case that roger stone is being unfairly treated, john. >> sara murray, i suspect you'll

be back with us momentarily as the judge goes through the reasons for the sentence. she is going through those points now, making it clear she views them as quite severe. we'll get sara back. in the studio, kaitlan collins with cnn, and shimon prokupecz. the fact she is going through all the counts and making it clear, sorry, mr. stone, i disagree with all the politics here, that you're being railroaded here. what are you hearing? our breaking news this hour, >> we've waited for her to talk a crime and punishment story. the president's long-time ally for quite some time. roger stone in federal court she made a point of raising that being lectured by the judge who just before she took the break, saying how the threats against her on social media, talking about that and how it's oversaw his trial. we do know he'll get prison intolerable to the time, we do not know how much. administration of justice, and she is going through a number of

to say that that kind of grievances against him, and she behavior by roger stone is just defends the case brought by the roger being roger is prosecutors in the special unacceptable. she has obviously taken this very seriously. keen on this, and this is what's prosecutor mueller's office. going on now, is her going over the threats to a witness here. he is constantly criticizing the this is also what's very important to this case, the fact that roger stone threatened a witness here. it's not just about him lying to congress. the more important point here is prosecutors involved in this case. that he threatened a witness. you can tell she is being beyond that is what she's going over scathing. now. it does sound like she's going >> she is being beyond scathing, taking it right to the president to give him a couple years or at this point, describing the so, we don't know, obviously, prosecution of roger stone, and but she's going over everything what she says, and i'm going to that would seem to indicate that quote here, that roger stone was she is, perhaps, we don't know not prosecuted for standing up this yet, but is not going to go for the president, he was as light on him as he hoped. prosecuted for covering up for the president. and that is what this trial was >> on the president's twitter ultimately about. the fact that roger stone went feed, he said he'll eventually before congress, lied to them, pardon roger stone. shanna, i know the answer is no. submitted information that he how do you handle a case where had and he should have, and throughout this trial, that was

your other prosecution or the the point the prosecutors had defense or you're the federal made, that roger stone did this to protect the president. judge who has been attacked and here is what the judge is repeatedly by the president of saying. you were doing this to protect the united states, how do you the president. you covered up for the wall that out and say, this is about the facts of the case, president. and she's using that as part of this is about the law, that is her sentencing. about comparative sentencing, this is not about the fact that the other thing i want to make of what she's saying, and i've the president of the united states is in my face almost made a point of this. every day now. when roger stone's attorneys came into court and they were >> she is very calm under arguing with the jury, so what, pressure when ages ago under the this is no big deal, so what, so gates case she handled that publicity very well. what. she's going to focus on the facts and the law in front of the prosecutors obviously had a very different take on this. her. but it's really an extraordinary their argument was this is about truth, this is about our system, situation. the other lawyer, quote, unquote, in the courtroom is and how you cannot go before donald trump, and the judge is congress and all of a sudden directly addressing his decide you are going to lie and arguments through building this case, telling the world, telling obstruct and get in the way of the public this is a just case an investigation. the judge is saying the exact and don't pay attention to what same thing here. the president is saying. we'll see. we're getting there, we're that's what's really going on here. >> that is really what's going getting closer. on here, and the president, as she said when she took the bench now about 40 minutes ago, obviously, is trying to she had a lot to say, and boy, influence the judge. we don't think he's going to does she certainly have a lot to succeed in that regard, because say here. >> she was not lying when

she is viewed as very tough and independent. starting the procedure saying kaitlan collins, the judge said this might take a while because she has a lot to say here. he has attacked the justice she, as much as the judges, know system years plus. a lot about the mueller he said, oh, i see, but so did investigation because she handled high-profile cases comey. including paul manafort, who is the president went on to say, so did andy mccabe. in jail, rick gates, who was the a lot of the president's former deputy campaign manager who went on to cooperate quite a statements are not facts or bit, including in the roger stone trial. the president is on the record conte contextual. saying he doesn't remember roger >> i think we all realize he is stone ever tipping him off that, not going to influence whatever hey, wikileaks has this decision she makes today, she's not going to let the president's information and they're going to tweets do that. but what he could make the case release it. for is if he does pardon roger stone, he's building the argument for doing so, arguing she's biased, arguing the jury wasn't unbiased in this mr. sto when roger stone's people says situation, making the case for why he should pardon roger no big deal, she's saying what stone. it's pretty clear what he's been she's learned in this proceeding thinking of, even though yesterday he denied that he's and what she's learned in other been considering pardoning him. proceedings as well. we know several people he's >> it's a great lesson in civics

spoken with have been talking with him about this, and they're for people watching this because lobbying for roger stone. there's so much talk about one interesting thing about his attacks on the judge is that is perjury traps. it really does disparage the something that's really gotten under bill barr's skin. he doesn't like that the purpose of telling the truth president is going out and under oath, and without that, attacking this judge who they the system doesn't work. have a case before, and the president has not, you know, she said, this is why false statements counts, this is why lying to congress counts. subsided in these attacks at all. >> and part of the argument, as a good judge, she has to whether you're the attorney listen to the advocacy, know the general or anyone watching, that even though you accept the facts of her cases and be able to apply the law to those facts. argument that the mueller that's what she's doing. >> what's interesting is they're investigation never should have not denying roger stone did existed, it doesn't give you the these things. right to lie to congress, it when you're seeing the president's allies, the doesn't give you the right to threaten witnesses. president himself, go out and assuming they can tell the truth, no harm, no foul. talk about this. they're just saying he doesn't but this is another case where the president will get advice from the justice department. deserve a stronger sentence. roger being roger, that's who he i suspect it would be, as the attorney general said, please stop live tweeting, meddling in is. you guys knew who he was, so my cases, that is not helpful. but we also know he gets his advice somewhere else, that he they're just saying he doesn't watches fox news, and if you look at his twitter feed, pinned deserve to be punished for his

to the top is part of this. >> stone's prosecution was misconduct. >> he's saying they viewed this wholly political. it was a shocking insult to the as misjudgment but it's okay american tradition of equal that you lied about it. that's a dangerous path. any citizen gets to decide justice. obama appointed judge amy berman whether the prosecution jackson, an open democratic investigation is legitimate. as opposed to you can go to another judge, you can hire justice, and went to attacking another attorney, you can jump up and down and say this is unfair, but that doesn't give you the right to break the law jackson in the case. she threatened to send him to because you think the law is jail if he tried to defend wrong. >> it has been quite the tactic himself in public. that's why roger stone is not on this show tonight. of the white house. we just saw that with the he could go to prison for it. impeachment inquiry and their fixing it is the right thing to unwillingness to cooperate with do, and in the end that is the only thing that mattered. the house. that has been a tactic for the >> if you're familiar with tucker, who is very good on president for some time. television, he's reading a teleprompter there. >> if you continue the idea inside the courtroom, she this is not him ad-lib ibing. understands. this judge has been attacked by the president, he's called her an obama appointee. he wrote a script saying, this if you go back in time, she was is a judge that is biased. also on social media in a crosshairs coming under attack

judge amy jackson is viewed quite fairly across the in this case. political spectrum. but the president has his, shall in that regard, shimon, knowing we say, boom box, and he often her how you do, how much is this listens. about her, defending her own >> he very often listens, so not integrity, or is she only is tucker helping the roger compartmentalized enough, if that's the right word, saying, stone pardon here, but we've okay, i've been attacked with seen other pardons he's done over his presidency, that he does take his cue from fox news. political ads about steroids. >> i'm sure there is a part of we know that the president and her draegs the attacks against his advisers are taking other ways to kind of expand his use of the pardon power. my colleagues at the "washington her. post" reported that the white house is creating kind of this the color from. informal task force to broaden that use to see who else should what this case was about was she be pardoned, whose sentences was slow with kbatsz on certa should also be commuted, led am part by jared kushner, the president's son-in-law. we know he does relish this part certacertain

of his power because he's basically unchecked. congress can do nothing about points. she realizes what the bigger it, nobody really can, and picture here is. that's another part that's really appealing to this i don't think this is so much personal for her, but she could president. >> that will play out in the perhaps be speaking for all the judges across the country who campaign as well. find themselves in some way it definitely appeals to his under attack by the president. base. other voters are turned off by >> right, it is every day. i wish there were cameras in a it. federal courtroom, but some days the judge is imposing roger more than others. stone's sentence. sara murray outside the we'll take a quick break and be courtroom with some breaking news. back in just a moment. sara? >> reporter: the judge just so what are you working on? handed down the sentence. roger stone will be getting prison time. he will be getting 40 months in prison. that's what the judge handed down. that pans out to a little more >>i'm searching for info on options trading, and look, than three years, also 24 months it feels like i'm just wasting time. of probation. wasted time is wasted opportunity. the big headline here is 40 >>exactly. months in prison for roger that's why td ameritrade designed a first-of-its-kind, stone. he is not going to be getting, personalized education center. obviously, the probation time he see, you just >>oh, this is easy. yeah, and that's had worked for. >>oh, just what i need. courses on options trading, webcasts, tutorials. the judge is sending a yeah. their award-winning content

is tailored to fit significant message here. she's saying when you do these your investing goals and interests. things, when you try to obstruct and it learns with you, so as you become smarter, justice, when you try to lie to so do its recommendations. congress, when you try to tamper >>so it's like my streaming service. with witnesses, that that comes well exactly. well except now, you're binge learning. with real consequences. >>oh, i like that. that is the me sssage she is thank you, trying to get across, among i just came up with that. >>you're funny. learn fast with the td ameritrade education center. others, but the big headline call 866-285-1912 here is 40 months in prison for roger stone. or visit tdameritrade.com/learn. >> sara murray, keep bringing us get started today, and for a limited time, get up to $800 when you open and fund an account. details coming out of that that's 866-285-1912, or tdameritrade.com/learn. courtroom. shan wu, you thought it would be ♪ three to four years. 40 months is a little over three years. >> she did run them concurrently. that's a normal thing to do rather than run them consecutively. it sends the right message and obviously she was not swayed by any passions on either side. >> this is big with the process

here in that he doesn't go to prison today. he is still asking for a new trial. she said, we'll go ahead with the sentencing on tuesday and then we'll deal with that. so roger stone will walk out of the courthouse. >> he's no longer under a gag order because the case is over. >> if i was his lawyer i would say don't make any assumptions about that. >> he chose not to speak in court. i thought that was interesting. they usually try to show the judge they care about something. he chose not to do that in this case. >> and if he does speak, the question is where does he go? does he go on fox news where the

oth other. how does the president react to cdc guidance recommends this? he's on the west coast today. topical pain relievers first... he's not coming back to like salonpas patch large. washington until tomorrow, but it's powerful, fda-approved he's been watching this closely. to relieve moderate pain for up to 12 hours, yet non-addictive and gentle on the body. >> i think. salonpas. it's good medicine. hisamitsu. severen to nine years initially and the judge did not agree with that, so that means they were wrong for suggesting such a high how we worship, or who we love. and the 2020 census is how that great promise is kept. sentence. the they follow the guidelines here. because this is the countdsf bis in funding they follow press denlt. will go each year for things like education, it is up to me to decide you. healthcare, and programs that touch us all. shape your future. start here. learn more at 2020census.gov most prosecutors realize that. you go for more because that's precedent. plant based material that's not thisonly extremely durable, >> and approximate a crime p. but also quite flexible. making it ideal for warby parker glasses.

which by the way, start at $95, including prescription lenses. the bottom line is she says what try 5 pairs for free at warbyparker.com they did was the right thing. oh yeah, about those prescription lenses. we think this was appropriate. warby parker glasses come standard with >> now we wait on the president. custom cut polycarbonate lenses that have been treated with we wait to see if roger stone will speak when he comes out. scratch resistant and anti-reflective coatings, nice. we'll see if the judge will address a gag issue. try 5 pairs for free at warbyparker.com there is normally two or three months before the bureau of prisons get involved and he has these hearings that are pending, so we wait for the president. again, if you look at his tweets this morning, retweeting and breaking news this hour, a pinning to the top of his federal judge in the process of twitter page, tucker saying, sentencing roger stone, the this is an outrage. long-time trump associate and ally for his convictions as part they tweeted later this morning of the mueller investigation. that roger stone did not lie to as she sentences stone and goes congress. through the counts, the federal again, context of the judge, amy berman jackson, is president's tweets sometimes break the fact check machine, giving mr. stone a tongue but in all caps, "fairness" a lashing. let's go live outside the courtroom to cnn's sara murray. sara, the judge going through those counts and essentially calling roger stone insecure, week or more from now in the end of the year when roger stone is saying this is his fault. don't blame politics and don't

blame her. about to the president's first >> reporter: yeah, basically. she's laying out the various crimes. when she talked about him lying to congress, she said, this was event isn't until almost 3:00 our time, so he has plenty of no secret, but the panel was run time to be monitoring the new f. by devin nunes at the time and he hasn't been shy about what he she is not fond of how president trump is conducting his actions during this trial. she said stone is an insecure thinks. is the president going to pardon person who recklessly craves him? that was a question we had back when he pardoned michael flynn. attention. this is not a joke, this is not funny. she went through the original i would imagine most republicans memo and the revised memo. in congress wish he would not she agreed with various parts of both of them. she has only said probation pardon roger stone, but the wouldn't be sufficient. we're still waiting to see what the sentence is she's going to hand down. but she's making it very clear in these remarks that she judge has all the power here. doesn't feel like roger stone is taking this case or his >> what if someone told him, prosecution very seriously. you've done enough to damage the

she uviews crimes very seriousl. integrity system, why don't you leave this one alone. when you tweet, when you get even the prosecution in this case is trying to set the record involved in this stuff, this is straight, trying to protect the what causes the suburban revolt. judicial system, trying to lay out that it is not okay to obstruct justice, it is not okay to tamper with witnesses. the question is now what sentence the judge will . ultimately land on. this is what unnerves them. >> we should get that step back. momentarily. sara murray will come back to us when we get more details from yufr in a plt. the courtroom. shan wu, i just want to get your that's one thing we do hear even opinion on this that ordinarily when we go to trump rallies f. this is a sentence of 7 to 9 years. one thing you don't like that the president was tweeting, let's do something about this, this is an outrage. the president does, his tweets. the judge said she could have stepping back and looking at this, it is still searching sentenced james comey to ten years, she gave him three years. recall. he just got sentenced to over three years in prison.

the last criminal charges that what do you think? were filed before robert mueller >> a big help to him is andy ended his investigation, and it's just stunning to know as someone who has covered donald trump for several years, who knew roger stone and to see this credico said he did make that is how he'll end up. attempt to obstruct justice. i thought the 7 to 9 years was we question whether he'll actually go to prison for one day, two days or if the president will pardon him. highly unrealistic. it's stunning we're talking about the long-term confidant to he is very unrepentant, but i thought all along she would be be sentenced. in the one to two-year more ab >> roger stone now sentenced to 41 months in prison. him than it did about stone, and in her opinion sentencing today. >> rudy giuliani under she said something interesting, investigation. sdplz rudy giuliani. she said it wasn't obstruction to a secret trump group, it was to congress, members of both >> there's more reaction at the parties, republicans and outside of the courthouse right democrats, and she pointed out the committee he lied to was at there, when we come back. that time headed by an ally of the president, devin nunes. r ♪ >> to that point, shimon, she's

addressing roger stone but she seems to be addressing the president as well in all the remarks about a deep state, a flawed process. she's depending on the integrity of the rights of congress to ask people questions. she's essentially saying, roger stone, your excuses do not fly here, and roger stone's excuses are the president's excuses. >> essentially she's standing up applebee's new irresist-a-bowls for the department of justice and she's standing up for now starting at $7.99. justice. now that's eatin' good this is her moment to stand up in the neighborhood. to all the attacks from the president in this entire investigation towards the justice department, to its judges. that is the only point of this in the end. there is a larger motivation here without a doubt. there's been a larger motivation here throughout this entire trial, throughout this entire proceedings. and the fear is that people aren't going to take this seriously. you know, she is in court right now and she's standing up for the department of justice, for the prosecutors who filed that original sentencing memorandum,

saying that it was professionally handled, that it was thorough. and any suggestion that the prosecutors did anything improper or unethical is incorrect. she's saying the prosecutors were doing their job. this is what they do. these are the guidelines they go by, and it is for me to interpret them. now, what she does and whether she agrees something is too excessive, that's the process. but the president interfered in that process, and the attorney general interfered in that process. she's now trying to correct it. >> that's what's interesting, it didn't sound like she was going along with the seven to nine years. they could have left it alone. >> prosecutors always ask for more. >> she's really trying to bring the point home to the public, other potential jurors in the future, this matters. there is a tendency now in the trump era, jurors will look at it and say, it doesn't matter what we do, this is all a political sentence.

she's making an effort to say the system matters, there's it's an honor to tell you that [ applause ] thank you. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance integrity. jurors' jobs are sacred, the so you only pay for what you need. i love you! judge's job is sacred and the only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ prosecutors' job is sacred. if you're 55 and up, >> one count of witness t-mobile has a plan designed just for you. tampering, five counts of false and, for a limited time only, we're making it an even better deal. now you can get two lines for only $55. that includes unlimited talk, text and data. with no annual service contracts. it also includes talk, statements, one count of text and data when traveling in mexico and canada. so if you're 55 and up, obstruction of congress. you can now get two lines for only $55. congress is an institution. you cannot lie when you're under because at t-mobile, oath. this is almost a battle to reset we have a plan designed just for you. the order in washington with the federal judge trying to defend the system at a time she knows the president has been consta constantly undermining it and may be willing, within days or hours of this sentencing, or maybe he'll wait until the appeal process plays out, to sign a piece of paper and say,

don't worry, roger, you're free. >> you've seen this judge in particular push back. you've seen chief justice john roberts push back against the president's opinion. and you've seen attorney general [ fast-paced drumming ] william barr pushing back some, too, saying he wishes he wouldn't tweet about the cases. it's interesting to watch that trump/barr relationship, though, because i think we can agree it is nowhere near as sour as the one between the president and jeff sessions. we know he's not going to stop tweeting. he tweeted this morning when he's out on his western swing. does barr, who has been such a st stalwart for the president on these issues, can he get under the president's skin? >> we'll watch it play out. as this day plays out, we'take . we're waiting again for the

sentencing of long-time trump ally of roger stone, sentencing from the mueller investigation. the sentencing is taking long than we anticipated because the judge is giving the defendant a tongue lashing. we'll be right back. . breaking news this hour, the or make me feel like i'm not really "there." federal judge in that courthouse you see on the right of the talk to your doctor, screen, they're sentencing trump and call 844-234-2424. long-time ally, associate and friend roger stone. 40 months pris, which is three and four months, in prison. shimon prokupecz joins us in studio here. this is the end in some ways. he has a motion for a new trial, he has other motions and then there will be appeals. this is butting up to an important chapter of the mueller investigation, and the judge

seems determined to go after these points. >> what we saw here from this judge was her words just tand g i -- standing up for the system, standing up for prosecutors, standing up for this investigation, standing up for the entire what she called the administration of justice, from the threats that came from roger stone, to the way he behaved during the course of this investigation, to the way he behaved after his arrest. she took issue with all of that. >> and an important context to all of that, she understands the system is under attack by the president of the united states, although she did not mention him. i want to go outside the courthouse. evan perez is outside. he was inside the proceedings and sara murray.

evan, to you first, being inside the courtroom, we're talking about what the judge said and how harsh her words were against roger stone. you were witnessing it. take us inside. >> they made points of talking to roger stone. he was standing just a few feet from her, and she says, you know, that this case is not about roger's hijinks, this is not about roger being roger, which is one of the defenses you heard from roger stone's team, from some of the witnesses, even, saying this is roger being roger. she said the truth still exists. the truth still matters. and she addressed the political partisan divide, really, that there is over this case, the president suggesting that this case should never have been brought, this prosecution should never have been done, and there is dis disgust and the defendants' behavior should

transcend. one of the interesting things we were watching for in the courtroom was how was roger m misbehaving? he would sit at the desk and make notes. when the judge read out some of his obscene emails to some witnesses, one of the out landish things he did, he turned with a smirk and looked at his cheering section. he had two rows of supporters inside this courtroom. again, just part of what you see with the roger stone case. that's unusual. we don't usually see two rows of supporters in any defendant, but that's what he had here. he turned and smirked, sort of glanced over at them as the judge was reading this out. you could tell, though, that the behavior that was at issue here, the threats and just his o outlandish way in which he was challenging not only congress by lying to congress and during his

testimony, but also just challenging the very idea that he was being prosecuted with some of his instagram posts and social media. that really bothered the judge. >> and, sara, as we wait, sara, for roger stone to exit the building, the points evan just made, two rows of cheerleaders or supporters in the courtroom. a smirk. roger stone has always been, i've known him for 30-plus years, a performer, and about the performance and about getting attention, much like his friend the president. >> reporter: yeah, absolutely, and i think one of the things the judge really wanted to get across today is this is a joke. it's a criminal prosecution. it matters if you lie to congress. it matters if you try to obstruct justice. it matters if you try to intimidate witnesses. she made it very clear and she was scathing. she called him insecure and just said over and over again, essentially, that she didn't feel like he was taking this seriously. she also took aim at the way he

handles this. she said americans care and i care. the truth does still exist. these are the arguments that the original set of prosecutors were making in their closing arguments. it's very clear amy berman jackson saw eye to eye in their arguments if not completely in the sentence she handed down. 40 months is a shorter duration than the seven or eight years they asked for. plus two years of probation. it's a pretty significant judgment. >> i was just about to say that one of the things we were watching very closely in the courtroom was whether she was going to address sort of the drama that's been going on in the prosecution team. the prosecutor stood up at one point, and she asked him -- the judge asked him, what are you

trying to tell me? in the first memo it said seven to nine years is appropriate. the second one sort of took that back. and the defendant stood up and said, the first one stands. it was a much more strict guideline sentence. in the end, he, however, said we leave it up to the court. she addressed approximate some of that because she clearly was bothered by the fact that this prosecutor was standing before . she wasn't really going to go by the seven to nine years, anyway, so this drama really was for nothing. >> we're told roger stone is

inside like any defendant who has been sentenced. there's paperwork to fill out. sara is outside. she was sentencing roger stone. she's been involved in high-profile cases with a lot of publicity acts for sure. she said she has been under steady attack by the president of the united states himself. did the president come up directly during the proceedings? >> the president did. one of the things she addressed was why roger stone was lying, and she said it wasn't about his political activity. she said this was about protecting the president, this was about covering up for the president. just one of the other couple mentions you brought up about the fact that some of roger stone -- certainly roger stone's defenders, his defense team in court, has sort of tried to

portray that a lot of what came to roger was about the fact that he was essentially participating in the political process, that he had a first amendment right. and really, in the end, as sara pointed out, a lot of what roger did didn't really have an effect. because roger mueller and his team ended up getting everything they needed. she said, no, that doesn't matter. roger stone is trying to cover up for the president of the united states. >> john, i think that's a striking thing to remember if we do see the president move forward with a pardon, that it wasn't just that roger stone lied, he lied in order to protect president trump, candida

candidate, that he was protecting him. >> he would be rewarding someone who corrupted the system. we come back to the studio with the question of a pardon. adam schiff was the ranking member when the republican-controlled congress and all this played out. stone was charged with covering up and threatening a witness. she adam schiff said, it should go without saying, but to pardon stone when his crimes were committed to protect trump would be a breathtaking act of corruption. >> he has very much weaponized it as a case of blustering. so i think more than his past history, this is the most likely use of his pardon power. >> he has some time to do it because roger stone is not going to prison tomorrow.

we don't know exactly when he's going to prison. >> the president has the internet at his disposal. he has a rally tonight so we'll see if the president weighs in here. the opposite of schiff is what works for trump. thank you for joining us. a very busy "inside politics." brianna keilar picks up our coverage after a quick break. have a good afternoon.

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i'm brianna keilar and this is special live coverage of another trump associate sentenced to prison. a federal judge just moments ago condemning roger stone to 40 months in prison. stone has been convicted of lying to congress and witness tampering. the stone sentencing has become a touchstone for criticism of attorney general william barr who stepped in to lower the prosecutor's recommendation of a seven to nine-year sentence. his interference came just hours after president trump tweeted his anger over the recommendation. barr's actions led to four prosecutors on the case to walk