'Angst, anger and disappointment': Roger Stone intervention stokes uncertainty across federal justice system

Unhappy with federal prosecutors’ stiff sentencing recommendation for longtime Republican political operative Roger Stone, President Donald Trump took aim at his own Justice Department. More than a week later, and after a cascade of disclosures, virtually every corner of the federal criminal justice system has been shaken. Prosecutors, former prosecutors, even judges have expressed concern about the appearance of political intervention in criminal cases.

Hours after the Justice Department announced it would rescind the sentencing recommendation, the entire prosecution team quit in protest, sending a shiver from Washington to some of the Justice Department’s most far-flung outposts. Story continuesHis actions have cast a shadow over the ornate, fifth-floor suite where Barr, according to a person familiar with his thinking, has weighed resigning. The Justice Department said late Tuesday he has no plans to quit.

The 67-year-old longtime GOP operative was found guilty in November of lying to Congress and obstructing the Russia investigation to protect Trump and his presidential campaign. Barr appeared to emphasize the break with Trump on Friday when the Justice Department announced prosecutors would not pursue criminal charges against former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe in a long-standing leak investigation.

Yet another measure of how much the intervention in the Stone case had roiled rank and file prosecutors came in an unusual statement last week from the National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys. 'No attorney general should be reviewing sentencing memorandums'Throughout the Trump administration, former Justice Department officials have not been shy about airing their grievances with the president and their former agency.

"Although there are times when political leadership appropriately weighs in on individual prosecutions, it is unheard of for the department’s top leaders to overrule line prosecutors, who are following established policies, in order to give preferential treatment to a close associate of the president, as Attorney General Barr did in the Stone case," they wrote.

This is a horrible and very unfair situation. The real crimes were on the other side, as nothing happens to them. Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice! https://t.co/rHPfYX6Vbv"That sort of illustrates how disruptive these tweets can be for the Department of Justice," Barr told ABC.Rhonda Backinoff served at the Justice Department under five presidents, first as an assistant U.S.

Nah. Everything is fine. 🤘🏻

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