I don't interpret Stone's 40 month sentence as "the judge caved" or "bowed to pressure". [View all]
I believe that Judge Amy Berman Jackson expects Stone to be pardoned but, by specifically stating that he "lied to protect the President" and by sentencing him to just half of the only specific number of months the DOJ requested, she has made a pardon more politically painful for Trump. And, in the event Trump does not pardon Stone right away, she has made a record that will make it more difficult for an appellate court to find an abuse of discretion.
Like most here, I believe Stone should not be let out of prison till he is moss-covered, but this judge has to deal with the real world and genuine legal concerns. I think her patience and restraint were admirable and her sentencing decision---and her comments--- were in the finest tradition of an independent judiciary.
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