Legal experts and former federal prosecutors say the Justice Department’s reversal of the sentencing recommendation for President Trump’s former campaign adviser is an extraordinary development that could have a long-term impact on public perception of federal law enforcement’s independence from political
Roger Stone, a longtime friend of Trump, was convicted last November for lying to Congress, obstruction of justice and witness tampering. The Justice Department overruled the seven-to-nine-year sentencing recommendation prosecutors made in the case.
Fredericksen said he was particularly troubled by the fact that Barr’s decision to overrule the prosecutors coincided with a tweet from the president expressing his dismay at the sentencing recommendation. “This looks inescapably like political influence forcing the Department of Justice to change its position, and it’s particularly troubling, because this is a case where the president has a strong interest in the defendant, Roger Stone, who was convicted of obstructing Congress’s investigation into the president’s campaign and its connection with Russia,” Yeomans said.
An email sent to one of the prosecutors, Jonathan Kravis, was not answered and the Department of Justice did not return calls seeking comment.
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