The unusual move by the Justice Dept. to lessen the prison time being sought for Trump confidant Roger Stone raises questions about whether the president had any influence over the decision. Both he and the department deny communicating about the case.
FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2019 file photo, Roger Stone, a longtime Republican provocateur and former confidant of President Donald Trump, waits in line at the federal court in Washington. A Justice Department official tells the AP that the agency is backing away from its sentencing recommendation of between seven to nine years in prison for Trump confidant Roger Stone.
The four attorneys, including two who were early members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia team, comprised the entire Justice Department trial team that won convictions against Stone last fall. It’s not clear what sentence the department will ultimately seek — a new sentencing memo filed Tuesday evening indicated that the original recommendation was too harsh but proposed no recommended punishment of its own.
“I have the absolute right to do it. I stay out of things to a degree that people wouldn’t believe, but I didn’t speak to them,” Trump said. Another federal prosecutor in Washington, Michael Marando, withdrew from the case. A fourth trial team member, Jonathan Kravis, resigned his position as an assistant U.S. attorney.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said it would be a blatant abuse of power if Justice Department leadership intervened on Trump’s behalf.
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