As America's Founders were ratifying the Constitution in 1788, delegate George Mason argued against granting presidential pardon power, warning that some crooked future president might use it to "pardon crimes which were advised by himself." Not to worry, James Madison assured him: Such brazen malfeasance would surely prompt that president's impeachment. That's how serious an abuse of power President Donald Trump committed Friday by commuting the prison sentence of his crony Roger Stone, convicted of lying to Congress to protect ... Trump.

Stone isn't even bothering to conceal the corrupt bargain here. He told an interviewer that Trump "knows I was under enormous pressure to turn on him. It would have eased my situation considerably. But I didn't."

Turn on him regarding what, exactly? Do Senate Republicans — who keep refusing to exercise any oversight whatsoever of this rogue president — have any thoughts on that mafioso-like comment? Sen. Roy Blunt? Sen. Josh Hawley? Anyone?

Stone's guilt, for witness tampering, making false statements to Congress and obstruction, is undisputed and undeniable. A self-described political "dirty trickster" and longtime Trump associate, Stone sought to become a go-between for the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks, which was leaking emails that Russian hackers were stealing from the Hillary Clinton campaign in an effort to help Trump win. This, again, is undisputed — something to remember every time Trump and his minions bleat about the supposed "witch hunt" Russia probe.

Stone lied about all this to the House Intelligence Committee, and encouraged another witness to lie for him, as the committee investigated Russian election interference. A jury found him guilty on all seven counts.

Federal prosecutors recommended a sentence of seven to nine years in prison, but their boss, Attorney General William Barr, overruled them and sought a lighter sentence. Stone ended up getting less than four years. It's just one of numerous instances in which Barr has acted like Trump's fixer instead of America's lawyer. Four of his prosecutors resigned from the case in protest.

Stone was to report to prison Tuesday to start his lightened sentence. But Trump, apparently deciding he hadn't yet undermined the rule of law for his self-serving purposes quite enough, commuted that sentence on Friday. Stone won't serve a minute behind bars for thwarting the investigation into a foreign enemy attacking American democracy.

The commutation was announced via a ranting, grievance-filled, semi-coherent official White House statement that bore the unmistakable literary thumbprints of the president himself: "Roger Stone is now a free man!"

Yes: The person a jury convicted of lying to Congress about the Trump campaign's shady game of footsie with the Kremlin is now a free man ("!") — thanks to a presidential abuse of power of the type that America's Founders understood to be disqualifying for office. Today's lemming-like Republican Party has no such understanding. Hopefully, the voters of November will.

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