The unusual move was met with swift backlash, with Democrats accusing the Justice Department of intervening in the work of career prosecutors.
Federal prosecutors are expected to back away from a stiff prison sentence recommended for President Donald Trump's longtime ally, Roger Stone, a Justice Department official said Tuesday, hours after the president condemned the recommendation.
The Justice Department official, who is not authorized to comment publicly, characterized the recommendation by District of Columbia prosecutors as"extreme, excessive and disproportionate" to Stone's crimes. The official said the recommendation differed from what prosecutors briefed Justice Department officials on prior to the filing. The official said a new sentencing recommendation was expected in court Tuesday.Stone, who's scheduled to be sentenced Feb.
Trump reacts: President slams sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone as a 'miscarriage of justice' "I do not take a position on the proper prison term for Mr. Stone, but it would be a blatant abuse of power if President Trump has in fact intervened to reverse the recommendation of career prosecutors at the Department of Justice," Schiff said in a statement.
Stone's convictions stem from his actions in 2016, when he sought to create back-channel communications with WikiLeaks to find out about stolen emails that were damaging to then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and to push for their release.
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