Last Friday, a few days before Roger Stone was due to report to prison, president Trump commuted his sentence. Stone remains a convicted felon (for now) but will not have to serve his forty-month prison term. Trump’s move was not a surprise; he’s hinted at pardoning Stone for months and it always seemed unlikely he would allow his friend and confidant to actually serve time. But although expected, Trump’s action to reward Stone for his criminal cover-up on Trump’s behalf is still profoundly corrupt. The only consolation is that Trump was forced to act before the November election so voters can respond accordingly.