Trump Blasted for Congratulating Barr’s Intervention in Roger Stone Case: ‘This Doesn’t Happen in Democracies’
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President Donald Trump drew a new wave of condemnation from those accusing him of more-or-less admitting to having Attorney General William Barr exert his will over the Department of Justice.
As Trump railed against a federal judge and the DOJ on Tuesday over the recommended prison sentence for his former adviser, Roger Stone, reports emerged that Barr is directly intervening in cases that are of “personal interest” to the president. These legal matters were described as frequently pertaining to Trump’s allies.
Stone’s prosecutors have resigned from the DOJ in protest of their sentencing recommendation dismissal, and on Wednesday, Trump congratulated Barr “for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought.”
Congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought. Evidence now clearly shows that the Mueller Scam was improperly brought & tainted. Even Bob Mueller lied to Congress!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2020
While the DOJ claims the Stone decision didn’t happen because of Trump’s demands, critics say Trump’s tweet supports the reports about Barr making interventions on Trump’s behalf.
Trump has now publicly admitted that his attorney general intervened in the case of his own longtime adviser — who obstructed an investigation into an attack on our political system — for the express purpose of undermining DOJ’s own investigative conclusions about himself. https://t.co/T3Q9tUMCdt
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) February 12, 2020
Fact Check: Roger Stone was convicted of 7 felonies by a jury of his peers in federal court, including obstructing a congressional inquiry, lying to investigators and attempting to block a witness’s testimony. https://t.co/3ei79bU9PH
— David Rohde (@RohdeD) February 12, 2020
Just gonna say this again: Trump wants to make sure we all know, and normalize internally, that the rules no longer apply to him. https://t.co/EduC8mf9cC
— Melissa Ryan (@MelissaRyan) February 12, 2020
The mob boss is congratulating his mob lawyer for gutting the case against one of his mob lieutenants. https://t.co/VZIFFTpcj2
— Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) February 12, 2020
President Trump acknowledges that Attorney General Barr intervened in the Roger Stone case, where four federal prosecutors quit the case as DOJ moved to ask for a lower sentence for Stone https://t.co/zI8G4FvNIZ
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) February 12, 2020
snatching defeat from the jaws of victory; why is he going here? this thing is almost over. he’s basically re elected but he cant help giving a democratic party in complete disarray (about to be taken over by a socialist) new life https://t.co/BrhynArpbl
— Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) February 12, 2020
He commits his crimes in plain sight. And then boasts about them. https://t.co/LuWlQC5C0r
— Richard Stengel (@stengel) February 12, 2020
Besides the obvious lies in Trump’s tweet, it’s both scary and telling to see him so openly pat the Attorney General on the back for interfering in a prosecution on behalf of one of his associates. https://t.co/JM21y3Olj9
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) February 12, 2020
1) Trump tweets that it’s unfair that his longtime adviser-turned-felon Roger Stone is facing a lengthy prison sentence
2) Trump’s Attorney General intervenes, reducing the prison sentence
3) Trump congratulates his AG for doing his bidding
This doesn’t happen in democracies. https://t.co/noEbg7fJUa
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) February 12, 2020
DOJ officials insisted they did not change Roger Stone’s sentencing recommendation upon the president’s demand – a claim that the president undermines at every turn. https://t.co/5qHuhzpRFj
— Steve Inskeep (@NPRinskeep) February 12, 2020
A corrupt authoritarian and his henchmen are wielding the Justice Department as a shield for friends and a sword for political rivals. It is impossible to overstate the danger.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) February 12, 2020
