Trump Says Proposed Jail Term for Roger Stone Is 'Horrible' and a 'Miscarriage of Justice'

President Donald Trump has denounced prosecutors' recommendation that his associate Roger Stone be sentenced to between seven and nine years behind bars, for a range of crimes related to the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Federal prosecutors filed a sentencing memo Monday suggesting Stone should face between 87 and 108 months in jail for crimes including obstruction of justice, lying to Congress and witness tampering.

The 67-year-old veteran GOP operative—who is a long-time Trump advisor and confidant—lied about his contact with WikiLeaks, which was planning to release stolen emails that might undermine Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Trump tweeted early Tuesday, "This is a horrible and very unfair situation. The real crimes were on the other side, as nothing happens to them. Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!"

Stone is one of a group of Trump associates indicted through special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Other prominent Trump aides convicted since the election include former campaign manager Paul Manafort, former national security advisor Michael Flynn, and Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen.

Only Stone and Flynn are still awaiting sentencing. Stone is due to be sentenced on February 20.

The sentencing memo explained that Stone "obstructed Congress's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, lied under oath, and tampered with a witness. And when his crimes were revealed by the indictment in this case, he displayed contempt for this Court and the rule of law. For that, he should be punished in accord with the advisory guidelines."

Stone—who has described himself as a "dirty trickster" and reveled in divisive political strategies and conspiracy theories—was arrested at his Florida home in January 2019. In his first court appearance, Stone dismissed Mueller's probe as a "politically motivated investigation" and vowed to defeat the charges against him.

In February 2019, Stone was issued with a gag order stipulating that he may not publicly speak about his trial nor post about it on social media. The order was issued after Stone posted a photo on Instagram appearing to show crosshairs next to a picture of Judge Amy Berman Jackson.

When Stone was convicted in November, the president asked if the verdict was, "A double standard like never seen before in the history of our Country?" Trump listed several of his critics, including Clinton, suggesting that they too should be jailed.

Observers have speculated that Trump might pardon Stone. In December, he did not rule out the step when asked, telling reporters that his former aide was the victim of a "big hoax."