BREAKING NEWS: High level Department of Justice officials are intervening to try to shorten Roger Stone’s still-unannounced prison sentence, multiple news agencies report on Tuesday.
The Department of Justice is backing away from its sentencing recommendation of between seven to nine years in prison for Trump confidant Roger Stone, a department official told the AP.
Impeached president Donald John Trump called that proposed prison sentence for his dirty-tricks-doer pal “unfair.”
As Mark wrote about earlier today on Boing Boing, Trump tweeted just this morning that the case against Stone was a “miscarriage of justice.”
Here we are, America.
Say farewell to the rule of law.
The Justice Department will take the extraordinary step of lowering the recommended prison time for Roger Stone, an ally of President Donald Trump, a federal official said Tuesday, just hours after the president condemned the recommended sentence as “very horrible and unfair.”
The official said there was no contact with the White House before the decision was made to lower the sentence recommendation. He spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the decision. The person would not say what the new recommendation would be.
On Monday night, prosecutors had recommended Stone serve seven to nine years behind bars after being convicted of charges including lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to tip the 2016 election.
READ MORE:
Feds back away from Stone sentencing proposal
[Reporting by MICHAEL BALSAMO, ASSOCIATED PRESS]
Previous Boing Boing posts on Roger Stone’s wild ride.
BREAKING: Department of Justice headquarters has stepped in to try to shorten Roger Stone’s still-unannounced prison sentence, a senior Department official confirmed to The Daily Beast https://t.co/AQbpUBOEAa
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) February 11, 2020
The Department of Justice will backtrack on its request that Trump ally Roger Stone get up to nine years in prison. Trump had called the recommendation "unfair." Story from @davidgshortell https://t.co/3PdegHyhy0
— Jamie Ehrlich (@jamie_ehrlich) February 11, 2020
We are in complete Alice-in-Wonderland, Orwellian version. Really really bad. Plainly politically infected. "The Justice Dept is expected to file a new sentencing memo Tuesday walking back its one-day old recommendation that Roger Stone serve seven to nine years in prison."
— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) February 11, 2020
Breaking News: In a highly unusual intervention, top Justice Department officials are intervening to seek a shorter sentence for President Trump's former adviser and longtime friend Roger Stone, after the president called prosecutors' recommendation unfairhttps://t.co/QFRyamTeBw
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 11, 2020
Again, the greatest super power in the GOP is shamelessness. We are seeing it w/ Trump and the sycophants around him.
Barr says this right after he stepped in to reduce the sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone. That happened hours after Trump complained about it on Twitter. https://t.co/4diNc9T7No
— Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) February 11, 2020
“Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!," Trump tweeted shortly before 2:00 a.m. A few hours later, the DOJ appears to be scrambling to help spare Trump's former advisor Roger Stone. https://t.co/O92mLahkrP via @vice
— Greg Walters (@thegregwalters) February 11, 2020
Justice Department to backtrack on request to give Roger Stone up to 9 years in prisonhttps://t.co/56nqOZ6laO
— It's Dee-LAN-Oh (@DelanoMassey) February 11, 2020
NEW: Roger Stone might not be spending 7 to 9 years in prison for lying to protect his old boss, after all. https://t.co/OqTyonJr6k
— VICE News (@vicenews) February 11, 2020
Adds #7
Justice Dept. moves to reduce longtime Trump associate Roger Stone sentencing rec. hours after Trump complains on Twitter.
“That recommendation is not what had been briefed to the department,” the official said. https://t.co/iL0VOyUW8f
— Heidi Przybyla (@HeidiNBC) February 11, 2020
Justice Dept. to reduce sentencing recommendation for Trump associate Roger Stone, official says, after president calls it ‘unfair’ https://t.co/3qiZ9zv69a tales from a banana republic
— Bill Bishop (@niubi) February 11, 2020
The DOJ is changing its sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone, according to a Senior DOJ official.
“The Department finds seven to nine years extreme, excessive and grossly disproportionate," the source said, adding the DOJ will clarify its position on sentencing later today— Jake Gibson (@JakeBGibson) February 11, 2020