Attorney General Bill Barr (pictured) made the extraordinary comments in an interview with ABC News this week after finding himself the centre of media attention following the intervention of Justice Department officials in the sentencing of Roger Stone, a long-time friend and former campaign adviser to the US President who was convicted of lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstruction of justice.
The Department’s prosecution team had recommended that Stone spend seven to nine years in jail, leading Trump to tweet: “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!”
In a major backflip, senior officials at the Department then overruled the recommendation, telling a judge that such a punishment – which was expected given the seriousness of the charges – “would not be appropriate”, leading all four members of the prosecution team to quit and raising questions about whether Mr Barr had intervened under pressure from the President.
The Attorney General stated that Trump “has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case” but added: “I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.”
Asking Trump to cut down on his tweets? Someone might want to tell Mr Barr he’s dreamin’.
