The published clemency order shows this includes the commuting of a $20,000 (£15,930) fine and a two-year term of supervised release. It does not, however, annul his criminal record.

Stone was convicted in 2019 of lying to Congress and witness tampering.

He had been due to report to a federal prison in Georgia on 14 July.

Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night, Stone said he believed his reprieve had saved him from "a near-death sentence".

"I was literally hours away from being sent to a Covid-infested prison in violation of the current Bureau of Prisons and DoJ [Department of Justice] policies," he said in his first TV appearance since Friday's presidential clemency.

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