So, we're supposed to say that Stone's crimes don't warrant serious punishment because he's in his 60s and because his defense lawyers say he never intended to carry out the blatant threat he made to a witness? The threatened person couldn't count on calling Stone's bluff (and who is to say it was a bluff?), and Stone's age is immaterial. Is it worse to be killed by a guy in his 40s than by one 20 years older? Absurd. Stone made a career promoting himself as a law-breaker who would stoop to anything to "win." Turns out it was true, but Donald and his DOJ want to reward him for it.
29
When will the NYT acknowledge that Trump is a domestic enemy running an organized crime ring out of the White House and aimed at destroying our Constitution, our democracy and our country? And that members of the criminal conspiracy are GOP senators and members of the House? That government is being stripped and hollowed out so that our wellbeing is compromised, and that Americans are being targeted for harm and preventable deaths?
I am terrified: terrified for the safety of the honorable Vindman brothers, for Ambassador Yovanovitch, for the attorneys who resigned and withdrew from the Stone case, for Judge Berman-Jackson, for Senator Romney, and for every Democratic candidate for office at every level, but especially for the presidential candidates.
This is either going to end peacefully or with another revolution, but one way or another it will end.
It's past time for a national strike. Hit the authoritarians and white supremacists where it hurts: their income pocketed from the little people's toil.
31
Given Trump's Senate acquittal last week, and now the interference by the Justice Department regarding Roger Stone's sentencing guidelines ( in which Barr was "influenced" behind the scenes by Trump), it seems that one pattern is emerging at the White House: it would appear that Donald J. Trump is turning into an American version of Joseph Stalin.
23
“Justice Department”...Orwell would love this...
26
"Bending to White House pressure" certainly one way to describe this obscene act of obeisance by William Barr.
This corrupt administration and its sycophants has absolutely NO limits, no decency, and an insatiable lust for absolute power.
Roger Stone is a convicted criminal who was finally caught, prosecuted, and convicted after a lifetime of thuggery. Dying in jail is a gentle end compared to the chaos, suffering, and pain his life-long misdeeds have caused society.
21
To date, the most obvious example of turning the country into a banana republic. The Republican senators who claimed he's "learned is lesson" should be ashamed. He is what he is. Trump will never change. To expect him to do so is insanity. Like the parable of the frog and the scorpion, "it's in my nature."
16
One word - Bloomberg
8
The swamp is getting deeper and deeper.
9
I am so disturbed by the way the rule of law is happening in this country. If you know Trump you can get away with anything. I thought the prosecutors should have stayed and tried to fight but now I realize that would be an uphill battle. Trump wants to be a dictator. Read about Nazi Germany and study it as we did. We are on our way. And it is truly deplorable.
16
The lawlessness is now in front and center with no fear of retribution except at the voting booth. Republican legislators sent trump trump a message loud and clear "if you shot and kill someone on Fifth Avenue, don't worry we got your back" . Hope your proud of your irresponsible and naive vote Senator Collins, maybe you don't belong in the Senate making such important decision that your incapable of making correctly.
16
"A longtime trusted adviser to Mr. Barr and former senior counselor to him, Mr. Shea..."
What does that mean? Barr has barely been in the job a year. was Shea at DOJ pre-Barr? Did he work with Barr in a previous private sector job? Is he Federalist Society? Is he Opus Dei?
7
Here we go - An emboldened crook in the white house and an accomplice in the justice department. Barr should be debarred by the Lawyers association and be deprived of his legal professional credentials. He is a bigger crook than the others in this regime - this is becoming more like Saudi Arabia. Thanks Senate Republicans?
14
This would never happen in Canada. The contrast between our two countries is greater each day under your President. We watch, the world watches in disbelief.
21
These are the times to stand and fight, not fold and quit, against the obvious corruptions of Trump's administration in all it's forms. Otherwise, we become comlicit in Trump's dictitorial triumph, which will surely follow if those of us who believe in the content and principles of the U.S. Constitution and democracy lose our grit and give up. Trump is only invensible if we allow him to be.
11
Trump is going to pardon ALL of his people. But first he must punish publically in full view those who spoke, acted, worked and testified against him. That is when he will be satisfied. He sees one branch of government only...his. He has taken over all..senate, DOJ, military, FBI. He has deep pockets and they are filled with his loyalists. We aint seen nothin yet.
11
It's my understanding the pardon power cannot be used in cases of impeachment. He was impeached in part because of his illegal scheme to work with the Russians, which Stone was involved in.
3
I blame Mr. Trump's party, particularly people like Susan Collins and Lamar Alexander who claimed impeachment would humble Mr. Trump or teach him a lesson. Just the opposite. He said being President meant he can do "whatever he wants" and their vote, along with nearly all in their party, to excuse his behavior with Ukraine, sent him the message that yes, he can do whatever he wants. It will only get worse from here out. Shame on all of them.
15
This means it would benefit me to clearly indicate my political affiliation, should I have the misfortune to be convicted of a crime?
2
Isn't it the case that the judge who will sentence him can ignore both sets of recommendations?
5
Senator Collins, do you still hope that the President "has learned a lesson"? I hope you and your colleagues can control what you have unleashed but it does not appear that way.
9
Well, Judge Jackson will be the next to go by the despot and his henchmen, the entire Republican Party. We are really well on the way to an unadulterated dictatorship. As for Stone, his record of dirty tricks is long and despicable, starting with the Republican Party's "Southern Strategy" created by Lee Atwater, Paul Manifort and Stone for Nixon. That was the Republican Party's first assertion of "Make America White Again," which it still pursues in every way possible.
7
Well, folks, since our institutions have proven themselves inept and impotent and the so-called co-equal branches of government drilled into us in civics class were apparently just a mirage and totally subservient to our King, it’s about time to update our anthem to this reality. Let’s use colonizing Mother Britain’s anthem as our model, shall we...
“God save our lying King
Remove our nepotistic King
God help the King:
Take his narcissus
Always vainglorious
Lords it down over us
Please no more the King.”
3
Logically, as Republicans move away from the ballot box to maintain power, they must shift from Rule of Law to a hierarchy of power. McConnell understands this and so does Barr. So Vindman must be punished and Stone protected. President as king?
4
"Trump has learned his lesson." Republican Senators.
How is that working for you?
6
Really? You think putting a judge's picture in cross hairs is a good thing? You think intimidating witnesses is OK? If this were any administration other than TRUMP, would this be OK? Just curious!
8
Of course trump intervened. After a documented 16,000 lies, you couldn’t possibly think he was involved in this Stone sentencing debacle.
2
George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four: “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
As the crimes and misdemeanours mount, so does the problematic issue of how does one remove a leader willing to defy the law, the constitution, even facts, in order to maintain power. Just look at one of his favourite autocrats, Vladimir Putin. He watched Col. Gaddafi’s death at the hands of the vengeful mob. The Administration is being cleansed of law-abiding, non-partisan bureaucrats in favour of party apparatchiks. Be afraid for democracy. Big brother is tweeting.
7
Folks, TEACH YOUR CHILDREN MORALS AND CIVICS. Teach them right from wrong. The current POTUS and administration is teaching them the opposite. They will surprise you and grow up one day thinking it's ok to do things with a mob boss mentality and that"Greed is good".
Teach them that the almighty dollar and a lack of truth catches up with you. Watch what happens in the election in November. Eventually the government will need to be re-balanced. We won't have a government to serve us if we don't have a planet with all the environmental protections this administration has eliminated. We need action quickly in order to survive.
10
Why is Barr allowed to continue practicing law when he obviously is not doing his job, he is beholden to a corrupt President. The GOP Senators who voted to not impeach now get to be directly responsible for this President abusing his power of office.
6
I want to thank Mr. Trump for helping me see what America has evolved into.
This country took great pride in the pass of leading the world in doing what is right and what is important. It was lead by social equality and a true desire to help people in need.
The country needs to decide who we are, and what we stand for.
I think the argument that 'Because he is old he should do less time" is ridiculous. So if you get away with being a dishonest person all of your life, then because you are old you get a pass is one of the dumbest legal concepts I have ever heard.
3
9 yrs for obstructing a bogus investigation? Christ those prosecutors should have been fired.
Give $20 to Sara Gideon's run against Susan Collins every time Trump abuses his power after being give the authority to do so by Collins.
https://saragideon.com
27
Just when I think the rule of law has been nearly obliterated another blow to it hits the fan. How did the right of a president to issue pardons stand up for so long? It appears that 45 is attempting to remove any remnants of the criminals associated with him. Memory is long Mr. President and an election will unfold how sharp our minds are.
6
A toadie,
A toadie,
Donnie wants me for a toadie.
A toadie,
A toadie.
I’ll be a toadie for him.
Written for and sung by, William Barr.
You Evangelicals already know the tune.
17
Anyway you look at it the DoJ looks inept and stupid or just corrupt as in a banana republic.
A very sad day to be an American citizen.
17
None of this could be happening without the aid and consent of the rebublican senate. 1000% focus needs to be on flipping the senate in November and this needs to be highlighted at every opportunity.
30
Indeed. Which makes one wonder about the calculus that caused Speaker Pelosi to start the charade over the Ukraine shake-down. Expose the toadies, strike a damaging blow against vulnerable GOP Senate seats. Flip the Senate, hold the House, then start with the real battles against the Administration.
1
Reader comments about Roger Stone being a sad old man are missing the point of a jury decision. He's guilty. If Trump arranges a pardon for any of the criminals who lied for him, we need to question our Constitution. Presidents have no business pardoning anyone but turkeys at Thanksgiving. We have three branches of government for a reason, but lately, none of them are performing well.
16
This is not double jeopardy. New impeachment charges and a new trial are fully warranted.
16
When does it end?
When do his supporters understand that Trump is forever changing our country for the worse?
When do they understand that, if left to his own devices, it won’t matter how much their 401K is worth, because in a dictatorship he would be allowed to seize it.
19
None of this matters as to the length of Roger Stone’s sentence. Trump will pardon Stone shortly after he is inaugurated (re-inaugurated) President next January.
1
Bill Clinton was impeached for essentially the same charges and got no jail time. So I guess it's all a matter of perspective.
1
@Clridenhour
Bill Clinton was acquitted, just as Donald Trump was. Both plainly and completely guilty of the charges against them. Perspective.
No, Trump was impeached for virtually the same charges and got no jail time. Clinton never threatened witnesses.
4
Bill Clinton was not convicted and didn’t threaten anyone! Enough with the false equivalencies!
3
So Trump has also attacked the judge in Twitter posts, and she will make the final decision as to Stone’s sentencing. If she has the courage of her convictions, the sentence will be stiff, and then Trump will pardon Stone.
This is truly a banana republic.
8
Will it be November 2, 2020 that a NATIONAL EMERGENCY is declared "temporarily" suspending voting...?
"The truth is what I say it is."
"The law is what I say it is."
Democracy IS hard, isn't it?
8
What is going to be done about this travesty of destroying our justice system? Are we Americans not going to have genuine justice anymore? Are the "alleged" Republicans going to allow Trump to destroy our country like this? So maybe real Republicans no longer exist?
6
Isn't this really a moot point as no matter what sentence Rodger Stone gets Trump will pardon his co-conspirator.
2
So... a defendant is found guilty during a trial. Everyone knows sentencing is coming up and the defendant pretty much spit on everything about the trial. Then, once found guilty, his ole buddy starts screeching about poor ole Roger, what a bad deal he's getting.. actually going to prison under current guidelines. Hmm... I guess Mr. Trump doesn't believe in the court process for his buddies.
8
What a long way we’ve come since , “It all depends on what your definition of of “is” is.”
2
Trump's lawyers —
Roy Cohn, Rudy Giuliani, Bill Barr, Alan Dershowitz………
Trumps advisors —
Fox News, Ivanka Trump, Don Trump Jr, Stephen Miller,
Vladimir Putin………..
You think America should be worried?……………….
25
@RB - "Worried"? We up here is Canada are worried but from what we read and hear, American citizens should be terrified as their democracy slides closer to the drain, to be replaced by an autocracy. Shades of 1930s Germany and contemporary Russia: evil persons with unrestricted power waging war on democracy and individual freedoms.
21
@Jaroslaw Rudnycky'j - CORRECTION: "We up here IN Canada..."
Reminds me of the old sixties song "Mansion of Love"
"One little wrong leads to another
Chip, chip, a-chippin' away, chippin' at your mansion of love
Ah-one little spark when it start to glowin' can warm a big mansion of love
One little wrong brings on the gloom, puts a chill in-a every room
Chip, chip, you make your baby cry
Chip, chip, you cheat a little bit
Chip, chip, you quarrel over it
Oh oh oh one day you're gonna discover
One little wrong leads to another"
Our mansion of love is the great Democracy we cherish in the republic.
As the chips fall where they may with The Don hacking away at our insitutions we feel the pain and loss.
From the sacred to the profane we have lost our way. God save the Republic for we the people can stand no more of this roving disaster of a presidency.
6
Beyond disgusting ...
9
Beg to differ... the putrid stench of Republicanism can be smelled as far away as the heavens.
11
As a former federal prosecutor, I think that sentence recommendation was outrageous and out of proportion to the crime. It is likely a life sentence for an old man. Those frustrated prosecutors are angry with Roger Stone for his public statements, with President Trump, and with the general failure of their "Russia probe" to prove anything of substance so they want to take out their frustration on the only one they control. The SWAT team invasion of Stone's home was equally disproportionate with agents waving assault weapons around while an old man wearing pajamas blinked in confusion. The whole thing was an abuse of power and makes me ashamed. DOJ has always exercised supervision over prosecutors - it's called the chain of command. No individual prosecutor should have unfettered discretion to follow his own bias without answering to someone. We need to get some adults in the room.
27
@C.A. Crofts If you thought that was an abuse of power, you must really be disgusted at Trump's abuses and corruption.
63
@C.A. Crofts Prosecutors RECOMMEND... the judge decides.
52
@C.A. Crofts But it is alarming that the recommendation had gotten through supervisory review and been filed with the court before Trump and his political appointees reached in to jerk it back. Either there was a management failure that allowed an excessive recommendation to get filed (possible - things are in disarray), or it's what it looks like: spineless DOJ officials panicking after Trump's tweet.
43
Why are we wasting so much hard earned taxpayer money on the Justice Department, judges, courts, and all that when we have President Trump? He’s really all we need and makes the final judgments anyway, so it’s a great money saving opportunity. And, next to Trump himself, there is nothing as wonderful as money. Get with the program, America. Three branches of government is two too many. All we need is Trump and a loyal military and we can once again rule the world!
4
With all the caucuses and primaries, I suspect a presidential election costs taxpayers in the billions or at least many, many millions. What's the point? In 2016, Clinton had 2.9 MILLION more votes than Trump yet the (obviously Republican-stacked) Electoral College handed the presidency to Trump. Why waste all that money if what millions of Americans want has no weight, while 538 partisan toadies make the decision???
I read somewhere that the Founding Fathers created the EC on the presumption that citizens lacked the cognitive capacity to vote intelligently. When you see Trump supporters interviewed, that presumption seems accurate, but is a partisan EC any better at making the decision?
10
Trump wants to have us believe that he did not advocate for a reduced sentence. Yet clearly he lamented the "harsh" sentence the night before on Twitter. I think by now Trump sees himself as invincible and is ready to turn this great nation into a banana republic. People need to wake up. You think that the only reason you would vote for Trump is because you have a job? Well I had a job long before Trump was president. And I had it when the economy was destroyed when the stock market was in the 600s. It's high time people grade a president on more than just how the economy is and how he works with other nations, and how we are seen around the world by both allies and detractors.
11
The US is becoming more and more like Russia. Oligarchs govern. Politicians subdued. What is the next step?
16
Ok, Your Honor. The rest is up to you. Do the right thing.
4
Whether deserving or not, it speaks of corruption to allow the president to influence the justice dept In sentencing...but as we’ve seen with trump and today’s repub party...law and order are not their values, nor is a democracy
8
What’s the big deal? The line prosecutors knew their superiors thought their recommended sentence was too harsh — an assessment I agree with given Stone’s age, his lack of a criminal record and the more serious wrongdoing of the FBI, part of the DOJ, in connection with the whole Russian “collusion” investigation — but went ahead and filed their recommended sentence with the judge anyway. Should the senior DOJ officials be barred from correcting their subordinates unauthorized filing just because THEIR boss — the president of the United States — shared their assessment?
Amid the media’s anti-Trump hysteria, it’s interesting to note the paucity of its coverage of Kevin Clinesmith, the FBI lawyer who caused an affidavit to be filed with the FISA court that made allegations known to be untrue. https://www.wsj.com/articles/who-is-kevin-clinesmith-11580417909 I must have missed all the commentary calling for his lengthy incarceration.
1
“The development immediately prompted questions about whether the Justice Department was bending to White House pressure.” – NYT
THE REST OF THE STORY ...
The “development” also immediately prompted questions about *reports* that the Mueller/Stone prosecutors had mislead or even lied to the DOJ regarding the prosecutors sentencing recommendations. A Justice official has been quoted as revealing that, “the sentencing recommendation was not what had been briefed to the Department.”
Although not mentioned here, I'm confident that our beloved media will flood the zone to investigate and then fully report that shocking “development.”
However, I'm equally confident that the efforts to discredit AG Barr will continue in order to blunt the results of the ongoing criminal investigation by prosecutor, U.S. Attorney John H. Durham. Good luck!
So happy to hear that our “deep state” military, the judiciary and the so-called “Justice” Department are now lead by cowardly sychophants.
7
Trump is betraying America, and the Republicans are providing him cover. AG Barr is acting as the Defense Attorney of this Plot Against America, with co-conspirators Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, and Michael Flynn already convicted.
The strongest reason to impeach Trump, and defeat him in November, is that he endangers our National Security by repeatedly and consistently aiding a foreign power, Russia. This is Treason, and all Americans must understand this.
Trump’s tax returns would also show that he is in hock to Putin-connected Russian oligarchs, which is why Trump is so desperate to hide his financial records. Mueller was prevented from investigating Trump’s finances by Rosenstein, and Barr terminated the investigation prematurely.
Remarkably, virtually the entire Republican delegation in Congress (with the lone exception of Romney) is in complete denial of all of this.
The GOP has become the Gang of Putin!
11
Re: AKJersey I agree heartily. But don’t forget Deutsche Bank, which was apparently the money-laundering conduit for the Russian money that kept Trumps cash-starved business afloat when no other major lender would touch him or his Trump “empire “. EU bank regulators have already been investigated this! Where are our bank regulators? Or is that a naive question in the world of “Rule by Trump?
3
Another terrifying example of a cult leader trying to take over where he has no business. For the sake of the soul of this country, he must not get a 2nd term.
8
It's good to know that the IMPOTUS has unlimited power to exonerate criminals and thugs, according to his GOP minions. Certainly I hope a future Democratic president will be accorded similar freebooting, monarchical powers to do anything s/he wants to do.
5
Willie Simmons was convicted of stealing $9 and received a sentence of life imprisonment. He is still in prison 37 years later. Stone's sentence is very light in comparison.
27
It says right here that AG Barr has now installed HIS lackey, a Mr. Shea, in the Washington office on Monday. And we know the history of AG Barr who has demonstrated his subservience to Trump since becoming AG.
What other conclusion can be drawn except that the US Justice Department is now under the thumb of Trump with the willing compliance of the US Attorney General.
Together they will reek the vengeance so desired by Trump. Someone is going to jail but it may not be a convicted supporter of Trump.
This intended takeover of the Justice department needs to be stopped and that will only happen if Trump loses the 2020 election. That is a big 'IF'.
10
Make no mistake, we are witnessing the rise of fascism right before our eyes. I would not travel in the USA right now as it is too scary a place.
19
@The Red Vegan
Something like that, but maybe more like Stalin's Russia. In any case, the USA is not itself with Trump in the lead.
9
@The Red Vegan Come and visit. A good many of us hold Trump in contempt and welcome visitors from north of the border.
10
Give me a break! A recommendation of nine years by deep state Mueller operatives when Federal guideline is 15 to 21 months? So unfair! This has nothing to do with justice. It’s clear they hate Trump and by extension Stone. These prosecutors need to be fired for abuse of power. So egregious!
Similarly, Flynn prosecution is about to blow up as well!
3
@Bill Weber: I suggest that you review the sentencing guidelines and the DOJ’s own original recommendations. When reviewing those guidelines, I also suggest that you add the additional charges that Stone brought upon himself subsequent to the original charges. Those subsequent charges include witness tampering, threatening a witness with physical harm, threatening a judge, violating a gag order, contempt of court, and perjury.
32
@Bill Weber Honorable people have resigned over this disgrace. Doesn't that tell you anything?
22
@Bill Weber
Nine years for daring to defy the Deep State. Sounds right.
3
As a practicing attorney, the recommended sentence does seem a bit extreme for what is essentially a geriatric gadfly. And, it may in fact be true that the Justice Department has not communicated with the White House concerning the recommendation. But again, Trump can't keep his mouth shut (or Tweet silent) and let the system work. He is simply oblivious to the appearances or more likely knows what the appearances are and simply doesn't care.
978
@R. Parker
I wasn't aware that the law allows you to go easy on someone because they're old.
441
@R. Parker I'll put my money on "simply doesn't care".
It may be a tough sentence, but I'm guessing the DOJ attorneys on this case want to send a signal to others implicated in this scam to start cooperating. I do find it interesting that the left hand at DOJ doesn't know what the right hand is doing.
The more important issue is why the heck the president is even involved in this. Shades of Navy Seal court martial interference, not to mention the Joe Arpaio pardon.
I'm disgusted (again? still?) but not surprised.
288
@R. Parker Are you a practicing attorney in criminal law? Because from my experience, those who prosecute (ADAs or Assistant US Attorneys) will very rarely be overruled by their superiors on sentencing recommendations, because they discuss these things ahead of time. It seems clear that DOJ did communicate with the White House (or at least heeded the tweet) because the prosecutors had already publicly announced that they were seeking 9 years. This order came straight from Barr.
329
Fortunately, the judge has the last word, despite the insanity with this justice department sentencing recommendations. This is the same judge that Roger Stone threatened. In the end, it likely doesn't matter because Trump will pardon Stone anyway.
10
Yes - We are ALL Outraged ! So -- " GET OUT AND VOTE "
We should be able to defeat Trump with NYT's readership ...
11
The President could not get a government job requiring a background check and he is manipulating our Justice Department. Remarkable.
17
Maybe that's why he's trying to collapse OPM into GSA! You notice the ruling GSA gave him on OUR Post Office in D.C., which is now his hotel!!!
2
Yes, it is a miscarriage of justice - on the part of Donald Trump and William Barr. Their political interference in the judicial process is another reason for both to be impeached. This is not how our system can be. They are a danger to all of our future liberties.
14
@ Dough, Trump got in Barr what he always bragged about . A sleazy Roy Cohn.
Barr is doing exactly what Roy Cohn used to do for trump. Trump lied last night with his tweet.
6
Again I am asking, so what do we do? DOJ will be “met with questions” and potential damage to its reputation. But nothing is stopped. Nothing is made right. The next president needs to prosecute Trump, his family, and all his minions who are a part of these actions. Our country cannot move forward from this until justice is served.
7
Look on the bright side, Mac. Nobody in America is doing a better job of campaigning for the Democrats than Trump. He is a one trick pony, playing only to his cultish fan base. The rest of America see him for what he is, and that is enough if there’s a good turnout, to replace Trump with the leading Democratic Candidate, Any Sane Person.
Besides the interference in Justice and the justice area of the military, didn’t you love Trump’s peanut gallery turn, awarding one of the nation’s highest honors to Rush Limbaugh, during the State of the Union, and virtually on the rabble rouser’s deathbed? That was a stroke, followed by a quick shuffle off to Buffalo and a torrent of paranoid and vindictive acts!
Next week: Trump repeals the law of gravity! That’ll play boffo in the boonies!
3
"The development immediately prompted questions about whether the Justice Department was bending to White House pressure."
To the informed public this statement is laughable because we all know that Trump, with the appointment of William Barr, has effectively harnessed the Justice Department to his wagon. If the rule of law still exists in our country then it is certainly an endangered species. If Trump is reelected he will do everything illegal that he wants to do and no one will be able to stop him.
7
The DOJ was aware of the guidelines that were coming out in the Roger Stone case. It was not until Trump's tweet, that the DOJ said they were blindsided.
What was Barr doing in Australia and Italy? To try and undo the Mueller Report.
Why is tthe DOJ "vetting" Rudy Guilliani's dirt on the Biden's and 2016 elections?
To help Trump in the 2020 campaign and undo the Mueller Report.
Our DOJ has become a tool of President Trump, who the Republican Senate has made clear given their vote on Article 2 in the impeachment, means the president has no responsibility to answer to Congress.
This is not America, anymore. This coup has changed us.
11
7 to 9 years for lying to a bunch of politicians who are themselves inveterate liars? I don't think so. From the article, it seems a group of line prosecutors charged ahead with a sentencing recommendation before agreement was reached with more senior members of the Justice Department. A "senior citizen with no prior criminal record" should not serve a longer sentence for a political crime than many actual criminals serve for rape and murder.
1
As to Sen. Collins' belief that Trump learned his lesson. He learned a lesson, alright. Just not the lesson she presumed the articles of impeachment taught.
8
We are becoming more like Russia and China everyday. Give Trump four more years and you will see either the end of American democracy or the second American revolution. This is the most important election in American history
10
Saw a video clip of trump commenting on this yesterday afternoon and he said - I quote - "I stay out of things to a degree that people wouldn't even believe". My mind immediately went to Gallagher, Yovanovitch, Vindman, Arpaio - I'm sure ther are so many more people could name. The only truth to his statement are the last 5 words of it.....
9
Now the Justice Department follows Trump's bidding via tweet? Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I'm proven wrong.
8
What are you apologists missing here? A duly impaneled jury found Messrs. Manafort and Stone guilty based on evidence that established their respective guilts beyond a reasonable doubt. The trials were presided over by jurists whose integrity cannot be impugned. Each of these defendants were represented by the best counsel money could buy. Flynn was caught with his ethics down and stated his guilt in open court at his allocation. Again, he had competent legal counsel. Trump’s and Barr’s interference in a criminal justice process that was fair and transparent, the cynical, handwringing that cries “martyrs of the Deep State! Unfair!” and the rush of his so-called base supporters to cheer Trump on in this subversion of the rule of law, shows beyond a reasonable doubt: (1) that this president has now arrogated to himself the mantle of a dictator who is not only ignorant of but also despises the legal and ethical responsibilities of his office and (2) that his cult supporters will applaud and excuse anything he does. We are reaping the whirlwind.
17
The only miscarriage of justice here is the interference of Trump and his tame attorney general in the Stone sentencing, and if Republican Senators let them get away with it they will be putting another nail in the coffin of their political careers. Barr should not only be disbarred but jailed for obstructing justice. The inspector general of the Justice Department should ask all U.S. attorneys to resign en masse to protest this gross violation of the independence of the judiciary.
6
The historic separation of the executive and judicial departments was intended to keep politics out of the justice system. Trump's attempted intervention on behalf of a longtime buddy is another example of his corruption. Barr is a hapless minion of Trump. Hopefully, the judge in the case will do the right thing.
6
Susan Collins soon to release a statement saying, "I told you he had learned his lessons!"
6
So this is the criminal justice reform Trump speaks about at his rallies, also known as abuse of Executive power.
He overstepped his bounds when he granted full pardons to Army officers convicted of murdering civilians and prisoners, in violation of the laws of war.
Anyone who can help him financially or politically, like Stone, gets a pass.
Bill Barr at the DOJ is so partial, so clearly in Trump's camp, he literally traveled around the world urging other countries to investigate 2016 campaign interference, for Trump's personal benefit, and on the taxpayer dime.
There is no Justice at the DOJ now.
The prosecuting attorneys had reason to drop the Stone case. They wanted to keep their reputations and ethics, and not be compromised by Trump's swamp.
The bad thing is that so many good people are fleeing the corrupt Trump administration, with good reason, that few to no one of good character is left to influence him, including elected Republicans.
And Americans are left unprotected.
7
Let us hope Judge Jackson remains a stalwart wall against Trump corruption.
4
Are Mr. Credico's comments now because he believes them or is he speaking out of fear?
2
You don't have to like the flabby 67 year old Roger Stone (I certainly do not) to recognize that sicking a dozen machine-gun toting S.W.A.T. troopers on him in a pre-dawn raid is a bit much. So is throwing him in the poky for a decade.
1
Stone could have received an outright pardon. I suppose he still could receive one. But maybe the crime boss president really has finally become “more presidential.” Yeah. Or maybe the president just jacked-up the cost of one of his pardons. I’m sure that this AG has recommendation guidelines and a fee schedule for that, too: 9 felony convictions, 9 million and your silence.
3
And Trump deciples wonder why he is viewed so negatively and Republicans are proud to support his interference of the justices/cowards to say enough.
2
William Barr might just as well be standing behind Trump at one of the MAGA rallies. He is just that weird and cultish.
Barr is, of course, a disgrace to the office of Attorney General of the United States of America.
Barr believes that Trump should have unfettered presidential authority.
I wonder what Barr's daughters, at least two of them lawyers, think of him?
Are they ashamed of him?
They should be.
Contemptuous, despicable and servile, he is a lunatic presidents steam dream.
William Barr will serve as a perfect representation of venality and treachery for all attorney generals who follow him. If he serves at least that function he might possibly have done one good thing in an otherwise destructive, slimy, and treasonous career.
9
Well, Trump got away with fixing the Senate, what is the big deal about fixing the Justice Department. Soon, our entire law enforcement system will be under the thumb of our Soprano and Chief.
5
Anyone who thinks this is anything but ANOTHER Democratic setup is blind as a bat.
These "leftist bureaucrat swamp" lawyers knew exactly what a totally ruthless and unfair sentence and how it would provoke POTUS to respond.
The NYtimes was waiting in the wings along with it's high stepping soldiers like Schiff and other house members ready to proclaim abuse of power.
Come on, Trump should have no problem at all with a pardon for Stone.
Bill Clinton himself pardoned his little brother: "Roger Clinton: Bill Clinton's half-brother spent a year in prison after pleading guilty to cocaine distribution charges in 1984. When Clinton issued a flurry of 140 pardons on his last day in office, his little brother was on the list." [CNN]
1
What is going on in my country? This, along with threatening Vindman with retribution, is unconscionable.
8
I guess this is what happens when we elect dishonest and corrupt leaders?
4
I’ll take a democratic socialist who respects the rule of law over a theocratic authoritarian oligarchy that panders to the whims of a toxic narcissist any day. I hope enough people are paying attention because it may soon be too late. I’m wondering how that type of rule will affect our daily lives, but am at a loss.
9
Stone is highly annoying. In a fair world a reasonable person might ask if he would be on legal jeopardy if the FBI/CIA etc did not manufacture a Russian intervention excuse to cover for Clinton’s failed presidential run.
There's no corruption in this administration, or at least none that warrants doing anything about it, because the economy is so good, or at least it appears to be so good, i mean everyone's talking about how good it is, so it must be good. See, money fixes everything!
... as long as you ignore the ocean of borrowed money propping the economy up. Thank god we'll always be able to borrow more.
4
If Justice guidelines can be ignored in this instance, then seems to me, it’s rule against prosecution of sitting president is not set in stone - no pun intended!
7
This is a horrific line we should never have crossed. The noisy withdrawal of the entire prosecutorial team underlines the fact that this is way beyond the pale. The rule of law takes a serious nosedive after this, folks. Mango Mussolini was already going to pardon this unrepentant fraudster after sentencing - it's why Stone feels no compunction to be contrite. But he also demands that the sentence be reduced BEFORE he pardons Stone?
Do we even value our country any more? Do we understand what we're losing, how valuable it is, and how hard it is to get it back?
16
I think the fact of the matter is that what we’re losing was never really there to begin with. Separation of power is an illusion, tenuously propped up by decency, precedent, and wishful thinking. It only took a president with a little dictatorial flair, sufficiently devoid of ethics, to demonstrate that there’s no there there. The system needs restructuring, starting with removing the ability of a president to issue pardons. I never understood that power to begin with. It’s an open invitation to partisan meddling.
214
@Eric, is your argument that, since separation of powers does not exist in actuality, Trump could not have abused separation of powers?
The fact that the US Constitution prescribes separation of powers makes no difference?
Non-interference by the administration would be, in actuality, an instance of separation of powers, as constitutionally required. Trump's and Barr's violation of that principle is appalling, and the prosecutors who withdrew are its moral heroes. But perhaps none of that matters to those who think "whatever is, is right."
What's needed is not "restructuring" the "system," but prosecuting those who subvert it.
5
@Eric No, Congress can impeach a president for misdeeds at any time. It was Congress' duty to impeach this man for his obvious and egregious crimes. They failed at that duty, and when one branch fails to check another's power, the system doesn't work. Much of the blame for this mess lies with our complicit, spineless class of Republican senators.
2
Stone was persecuted for his political beliefs. He should be free.
1
@joeGiul
He threatened federal judge.
He lied, conspired and forged documents.
3
@JoeGiul
Stone was convicted for breaking the law.
The jury found him guilty based on all the evidence
presented.
If you've got evidence to the contrary, the sooner you give it to his lawyers the better.
If only Trump hadn't made clear that he wouldn't get involved you could've sent your evidence to him. A President weighing in on Stones behalf, what a difference that would make.
2
Justice in America is not justice. It is the whim of whomever rules the court. Our democracy is dead.
4
Another instance of our justice system / culture making allowances for white collar thugs, while more harmless crimes committed by people of color and people of lesser economic means land in jail for years, spending large chunks of time waiting for their day in court to be judged and/or the punishment outweighing the crime.
5
@Wendy Bossons
Wasn't there a headline that Trump is wooing black voters currently? Remember the full page ad Trump took out against the Central Park Five? Remember the article saying black employees had to be cleared out of his hotel before he arrived?
So I agree with you. He'll always be the side of the white, white collar thugs over the regular guy and especially black Americans.
Don't get amnesia with Trump. And check your bank account every time he says he says the economy is great. For who is he speaking?
4
No king can rule without willing enablers.
4
The stench of corruption in the Trump administration is overpowering, but William Barr has demonstrated that if you steep yourself in it, you can get used to it. He'll come away smelling a little ripe himself, but that clearly doesn't matter to him. The one encouraging thing about this latest redolent episode is that there are at least 4 members of the justice department who are ready to resign their positions rather involve themselves in this fetid business.
2
@Jon Gordon
which leads one to believe the remaining will " involve themselves in this fetid business."
I would hope that Judge Jackson in her wisdom puts Roger Stone away for a long time. After all, the length of the sentence is at her discretion. In the end however I suspect that a full pardon will be headed Stone's way.
4
Nine years was obviously a political recommendation by prosecutors, many of whom were influenced by Comey and worked with Mueller. It's obvious whose side they were on. If you politicize prosecutions you should expect pushback from the other side. That's politics.
A 'technical' threat that is not taken seriously can sound bad on paper but if the victim did not feel threatened it should not be a basis for a punishment that does not fit the crime. This is obviously the tail end of a political prosecution, not really a criminal one. It's time to pay the piper.
How does it feel to have criminals as leaders? The stench of political harassment and intimidation goes well beyond Trump, to pervade the very institutions that should be safeguarding our freedom. It's not the reduction in length of sentence that reasonable citizens object to, it's the intrusion by political hacks in the workings of our courts. And, if Trump wins a second term, all this will be trivial to the attacks on our freedoms that are sure to come during a second term.
8
There he goes again, defending the guilty and dismissing the innocent. What else is new?
4
It is corruption pure and simple. Now that Trump has retaliated against witnesses for carrying out their duty to testify in his impeachment trial and now that Trump has intervened to obstruct justice from being carried out in Stone's case, how are Trump-following Senators feeling now? Is there a shred of conscience or regret among Republican Senators for covering up Trump's crimes?
171
@tony Face it. The Republican Senators are cowards who consider remaining in good graces with Trump more important than their oath of office. It's a sad, sad day.
39
Who cares? The prosecutors were all former Mueller operatives with a nine to pick with the President. Moreover, who cares?
3
YOU should care. The sentencing guidelines would apply to you and to others not so politically connected.
Equality under the law is a bedrock principle. That’s been blown up by Mr. Barr because of the President’s public interference. This is unacceptable behavior.
7
Trump sure associates with the best of people, doesn't he? Whatever really happened to Jeffrey Epstein? Whatever happened to Jeffrey Epstein's missing girlfriend? As for Roger Stone, he's been around since Nixon and it doesn't take much to see he's rotten to the core.
You can judge a man by the company he keeps. Trump is in trouble because he's so arrogant he has blind spots. Keep digging investigative reporters. The truth will come out eventually. It always does.
And when it does, the Evangelicals will be associated with Trump forever. God will not look kindly on deals like this with the devil.
18
Remember the president said he could kill someone in NYC and no one would care?
This an representative demonstration of this.
12
"Other prosecutors were also distressed, including those working on the case of Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn..."
The Flynn persecutors should be more than distressed. They themselves face legal sanctions for their "work" supporting the failed coup.
6
Many people seem to think that the reason Mueller was not able to obtain enough evidence against Trump to prosecute him was becuase Roger Stone lied thereby obstructing the investigation in Trump Russia collusion/conspoiracy. It seems to me that in order to know for sure someone is lying one must know the truth. That really means that the prosecutors must have known the truth in order to determine Stone was lying. If Mueller already knew the truth why did the need to ask Stone a question they already knew the answer to other than to set a perjury trap? If you have hard evidence of the truth before asking the question why do you need to ask the question?
4
Congress should pass a resolution condemning president’s tweet and Justice Department’s move.
6
I hope Susan Collins and other Republican Senators who stated after aquiting Trump that he somehow learned his lesson see how laughable those statements were. Greenlighted by the GOP there is nothing to stop Trump from interfering or dismantling every government agency or taking retribution on those he thinks are his enemies or unloyal. There are no checks on him now thanks to the Senate who betrayed us.
10
@Kevin - is the EPA next, ‘it’ has certainly put the DOJ where he wants. Now that billy Barr has to approve any investigations of politicians, namely corrupt republicans, ‘it’ owns billy and the DOJ
1
Susan commented that she hoped the President had learned a lesson. Clearly, it's a Republican sense of hope, really mirage, delusion, and infantile fantasy, and not an Obama, Democrat interpretaion.
This was the right move. Prosecutorial zealotry is a problem not just for Stone but for all defendants. Just ask all those inmates in federal prisons. Obama's Attorney General Holder even scolded them for taking such a hardline.
Glad to see this pushback.
3
@AACNY - they are following DOJ guidelines,
3
Every day we can see and hear the drip, drip, drip of this administration like a faulty faucet sending drops of democracy down the drain. If this is allowed to continue for four more years, I fear the faucet will burst open and our Democratic Republic will be washed away.
6
I lost any confidence I had in America the day trump was elected.
16
This should be a MUCH LARGER headline on the Times' digital edition. The REAL horror has just started.
10
@John Goodfriend
So true John!
The horror has just started and it will soon befall the coup principals; Brennan, Comey, Clapper, their subordinates and superiors, as well as their enablers in the media.
Geez, the dust hasn’t even settled on his impeachment, and he’s already openly abusing his power? Heckuva job, Republicans!
12
So, come on, judge, go 7-9 anyway. Force that double-faced Barr to file on appeal for someone his own Department convicted. Roll the Stone away.
9
@Getoffmylawn - I say go for 10 years!
3
Trump just congratulated Barr.
If Judge Jackson sentences Mr. Stone to more than a wrist slap get ready for another Liberal Judge tweet from the White House.
The Entertainer in charge tweets.
3
@DDC - ‘it’, will pardon stone anyway!
1
Has the Justice Department ever been more politicized? I’ll bet career prosecutors would love to quit en masse, but they can’t afford to give up their pensions. Barr is an utter disgrace.
13
Yes, it has, under Nixon and Mitchell.
This isn’t a speeding ticket that Trump is “fixing” and Barr is no Elliot Richardson.
5
"The development immediately prompted questions about whether the Justice Department was bending to White House pressure."
Does anyone really still not know the answer? Who are these people who have been in a cave the last three years?
11
The senate and house are the races that matter. Republicans have proven themselves cowards, complicit and unwilling to keep their oath to the constitution. Vote them out everywhere.
16
Wake up America! A criminal and criminal enterprise is now running our country. A guy with a long criminal history and who is in bed with the Russians. Follow the money and you will find the truth. His corrupt character is now corrupting our institutions and way of life. All of this made possible by the complicit spineless republicans. It is a scary future for our kids and country. When will we learn, not likely soon.
16
Barr and Trump need to go ASAP. This is not good. Trump needs to be taken out in a strait jacket and Barr needs to be disbarred and stand trial. Trump is not a sane person. Why are we allowing a mad man to drive our country into chaos?
9
This 73 year old teenager has been whining about how "unfair" things are for his whole life. He started whining, crying, and complaining about "unfairness" as a child and his negligent parents were to busy or indifferent to bother teaching him the basic lesson about life not being fair.
He has not matured. Emotionally he is still that whining, crying, complaining brat ranting about how unfair everything is to the spoiled one.
Give me a break. This trust fund cripple with a huge gold spoon in his very big mouth, has whined about unfairness since he could talk. Fair/unfair is the most dominant lens that he looks at everything through.
That the AG of the United States, an utterly corrupt and partisan disgrace, supports all this adolescent crying and complaining is beyond disgusting. Trump's sense of justice is utterly warped and distorted, it always has been. The last thing he needed was to be reinforced in his distorted sense of reality by Barr. He should have been thrown out of office right along with Trump when he was impeached. But we all have witnessed how far republicans have fallen into willful ignorance and corruption. NO such justice will be forthcoming.
An all time low in our history in living up to our ethical ideals.
12
Parole or pardon?
Really, there are more urgent tasks. Like finding out whether the Mueller investigation was started on knowingly false premises.
And if yes declaring the organization which started it a criminal organization and confiscating all its assets.
1
@novoad
We already know the Mueller investigation was started on questionable premises. The FISA requests were dodgy, and the Steele report was garbage.
When it comes to Trump, they are behaving like a pack of wild dogs. His critics, abetted by an enabling media, will cheer on and defend any behavior. Their reaction is predictable and to be taken with a grain of salt.
This is how things work under an authoritarian government folks. Since that is what the US now has, you just need to get used to it. The dictator and his henchmen get what they want and you don't really have anything to say about it.
That whole democracy thing was holding back business and profits, so the Republicans have put an end to all if that. Elections do indeed have consequences.
9
The importance of the 2020 election is on clear display. Either We the people save the Republic or We the people will play a fiddle as it burns from these shameful republicans.
7
I see they are using the Stone just being Stone defense.Sound familiar, Trump just being Trump. By that standard I can maybe rob a few banks and it will be ok because its just me being me.
Someone needs to inform these goons and their lawyers that crime is not okay just because that is what they have always done.
So much for the justice system, it no longer means anything unless you know the right people. In terms of rule of law, under Trump we have regressed a century or two. How pathetically un-American that is.
240
@Zed18 Yes, essentially that's it. The "everybody knows" how Stone REALLY is - apparently, harmless? - defense.
It's the poor misunderstood rich powerful person syndrome.
18
None of this is surprising
Trump's even suggesting Colonel Vindman be jailed for following the Constitution and testifying under a subpoena.
Trump would torture him if he could, to make him say he was lying.
Vindman's family should be afraid, Trump enjoys using Mob tactics, he's already come after Vindman's brother - are his parents next?
Mitch McConnell has promised Trump the Senate will not interfere and Trump may do as he pleases.
Look for a huge increase in corruption and abuse.
Barr's interference here is a good example of how it will be.
Trump's gang is above prosecution. Damn the laws, there will be no punishment for doing Trump's bidding.
We need a huge turnout in November.
Vote Democratic for every office, every seat.
McConnell is as big a threat as Trump - the Senate may be more important than the Oval Office for the next 4 years.
Vote.
18
May those who have been accused like Trump on made up capital crime charges and haunted for three years by tens of million of unrepentant fellows,
may those throw the first stone.
Trump is entitled to haunt his adversaries for three years relentlessly before he even gets even. But he is a kind man, so it will be shorter...
1
We now begin to understand more of the corrupt tactics used by Mueller’s team.
The case against Flynn has crashed.
The case against Stone is contrived.
The attacks on these individuals by a corrupt prosecution that wanted witnesses to lie to frame Trump and tried to frame the witnesses instead when they wouldn’t play along is not justice.
4
Stone and Manefort are two of the main reasons Mueller could not get the information he needed on Trump and tie the campaign to Russian agents. Stone was the Guys coordinating the email releases with Russia. Behind the scenes it was likely Trump getting messages to his two allies that he’d get them off. He would have done it earlier but committed another crime that led to an impeachment trial which slowed down his efforts.
It’s been very interesting watching the GOP play along with Trump and his gang of criminals. Historians are going to have a field day 35 years from now if the unethical folks in this administration don’t destroy all the evidence. I’ve got very little confidence that the won’t after watching this criminal enterprise which disguises itself as a presidential admin run by a guy who apparently has the longest running IRS audit ever. Should we ask the IRS when it is ending? Don’t hold your breath. Menu gin is there protecting Trump’s taxes from ever being audited and released. There is no rule of law anymore. Sad day in America.
7
@Jack Smith
Stone was coordinating the email release with Russia?
Is that why Stone wasn't even charged with conspiracy or anything even close to conspiracy?
Barr has always been in Trump’s pocket - from the time he was appointed. No question.
8
So... what exactly does it take to get disbarred in the USA? I feel like anywhere else in the world a bar association or Supreme Court would be stepping in almost immediately to stop this.
3
Wouldn't it be nice if the JD stepped in on behalf of the many innocent people who are sitting in jail because of the color of their skin. I can't imagine how they feel to see this good for nothing dandy get the royal treatment. Disgusting.
25
Barr and Trump have trashed the Justice Department, transforming it from a highly respected institution to the sycophant Trump law firm Dewey, Lie, and Howe.
28
Susan Collins was right. He sure did learn his lesson. Not.
19
@JMH He learned that he can do what he wants.
5
Isn't it time for someone to demand that Trump promises to leave office when he loses the election? The way things ae going, I expect him to declare martial law and for the DOJ to back him up.
12
Take a close look at Roger Stone's left hand in the recent video clip of him walking with his wife and lawyers. He is discreetly signaling the white supremacists OK symbol. I think this tells us everything we need to know about the evil forces at work in Trump world.
8
Another example of the obstruction and perversion of justice. Another example of an impeachable offense.
12
What is sad but obvious is that the Justice Department is wrongly named. What could we call it? Department of Injustice? Department of Political Interference (DOPI)? Suggestions are welcome.
7
H-e can't help sticking his nose in everyone else's business, but is outraged when journalists look into his business. H-e questions the judgement of the Fed chairman, challenges judges rulings at every level of government and of course h-i-s Executive Branch is a revolving door of dismissals and resignations. H-e is a relentless demagogue who cannot resist holding the public's attention at every turn about everything he has an opinion on.
8
An appalling act of interference in the Justice system. Previously, presidents were mindful of the influence they could potentially have on a court case and studiously avoided comment. But this president does not. He believes he is the highest authority on the law. He is as much a threat to democracy as was Douglas MacArthur's challenge to civilian control over the military.
9
This lawlessness and corruption must end. At what price is power too high for the GOP? Whatever that is, it may be too late to undo the damage when they finally try assert some checks on this Mafia Don.
8
The article cites Stone's age as 67, but he is 87. A 7-9 year sentence is pretty much a death sentence.
2
@Stan : You're wrong. Stone is 67.
8
Roger Stone was born in August 1952.
7
@Stan Check your facts. He is not 87.
3
The Constitution needs to be updated to take into account a President’s use of social media. This strong arm tactic should be an impeachable offence.
Surely the USA is not turning out to be the largest Banana republic the world has ever known? Is that what Republicans mean by « Great »?
6
I suspect Stone will be released from jail in time to help Susan Collins with her re-election campaign.
13
This is just another nail in the coffin of DEMOCRACY. If we do not want to bury democracy then trump needs to go, by what ever means necessary.
11
@oscar jr Public pressure should be directed at Barr who does Trump's bidding. The inspector general of DOJ should investigate the internal process that preceded the withdrawal of the sentencing recommendation
7
The theoretical independent judiciary is an inconvenience to Trump Inc. This tiny man has spent a lifetime treating the law as an inconvenience and using the courts as a tool to wait out parties who are trying to get justice and monies owed.
What is needed right now is Elliott Ness - a Fed who is maniacal in his belief in the rule of law to bring Trump Inc to justice.
Mueller was obviously not that man. Maybe Adam Schiff is?
9
As a former prosecutor this is simply appalling. It's one thing to read Trump's Twitter rants disparaging Stone's prosecutors it is altogether an alarming and sinister turn of events to see the meddling of "senior" Justice Department officials aka Bill Barr intervene to offer up a more lenient sentence.
The simple fact that Bill Barr's preceding work for Russian oligarchs was not fully vetted is coming to roost. Truly a sad day in America where the law means nothing and power everything.
23
Yet another clear Republican demand for a king. justice dept, senate, and the executive branch under the power of one person. i just want to know how much did the hispanic and black incredibly believable actors in the superbowl commercial for Trump get paid?
8
Trump is above the law so now his friends are too.
This is a disgraceful and dangerous situation.
23
Hopefully this will get you all out to vote.
22
Trump should have just pardoned Stone; but no, he has to be the bully in the playground and get his sheep to disparage people doing their jobs. If you do the crime...Stone did. So did Trump but his sheep gave him a pass that will only empower him further. Why is this craziness all right with the American people? Trump is not leading; he's not strengthening the economy - that's not a political result; he's creating chaos to cover the fact that he hasn't got a clue.
9
DOJ lawyers should quit en masse. They will find other jobs, and they will sleep better at night.
4
Wait until they bust the Ukrainian Brothers down to buck private and give them twenty years of KP duty. Trump is indeed their commanding officer and anything goes because he owns the Senate.
2
Justice “a la carte” seems to be what some wish... and could get from time to time a disastrous blow to separation of powers.
2
It is only a recommendation. The judge decides on sentence.
5
@David:
Not the point.
5
I hooe Judge Jackson holds a hearing and subpoenas Barr to appear in court so he can explain the change in Justice Dept position, and then she can teach Barr and DOJ and Trump what a society of laws and not of select men really means. Judge Jackson should then sentence Stone to the nine years he deserves for subverting a Congressional investigation, intimidating a witness and attempting to intimidate the Judge with his postings and press statements. Stone was guilty of contempt of court.
13
When presidential history is written the name Trump will be synonymous with infamy and corruption forever. The family name will be a byword for sleaze and criminal tendencies for generations. This will be his one and only legacy.
18
@BayBlue1927 It has been, and he now is.
4
@BayBlue1927
Trump was the object of, first, an exhaustive Russian collusion investigation, which found no evidence of collusion, and then an impeachment, of which he was acquitted.
The deep partisanship of this period will be a big part of Trump's "legacy". The investigation of his campaign team, now found too have been predicated on false information, will also be a big part of his "legacy".
"Worst impeachment in history" is more likely to be the "legacy".
1
I never thought a day would come when I would miss Jeff Sessions. But Bill Barr makes me long for those slightly less blatantly corrupt days.
7
This is like an extended Saturday Night Massacre? Adam son, it's time to step back up to the plate with your Southern Cal slugger! (Never mind one from Louisville, because Mitch stole its corking!)
1
Does this surprise anyone who has been paying attention since the Inauguration? This is predictable. How can one not understand that a man like Trump will bend spineless bureaucrats until they break or get out of the way? Trump will not be stopped.
10
“Where are all the mercenaries, paid for by the king? Have they joined the mob you say, doesn’t money mean anything?” excerpt from “Flowers In The Night”. A foreboding tale of a corrupt regime.
3
I hope Judge Jackson reduces his sentence to 6.9 years but sends him to jail tomorrow, rather than starting his sentence in a few months.
6
Four down. Hundreds more to go. Let's get to it!
4
If nothing is done to stop the illegal madness of this administration, I fear our beloved country is lost forever.
11
No, Senator Collins President Trump ad his loyalists have not learned a lesson from the Ukraine scandal. In fact they have doubled down on their autocratic tendencies. Perhaps the sentencing recommendations for Mr. Stone were a bit severe, but isn’t that for the judge to decide? Why did Bill Cohn-Barr inject himself into the process? How quickly we have moved from a democracy to a banana republic. Imagine if this administration gets another term!
14
To recommend a sentence of 7-9 years in prison for a senior citizen who has never been convicted of a felony is harsh. Perhaps it could also be a form of intimidation.
The recomended sentence by federal prosecutors of seven to nine years (!) in prison certainly appears very excessive.
In view of that, the Justice Dept. IS justified in making a new recommendation.
The witness, Randy Credico, who was allegedly threatened by Roger Stone indicated that he never believed a serious threat had been directed at him:
"Mr. Credico himself submitted a letter asking the judge not to send Mr. Stone
to prison, saying incarceration damaged both prisoners & their families. While he stood by his testimony during the trial, he wrote,
“I never in any way felt that Stone himself posed a direct physical threat to me or my dog.”"
See @ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/10/us/roger-stone-prison-sentence.html
I do not claim that Stone is innocent of all charges but urge that we avoid
draconian harshness toward any citizen especially when they are senior citizens charged with non-violent crimes in a highly charged political situation.
5
He obstructed an investigation into whether a foreign government interfered in a US election. That's not your run of the mill crime. He is a traitor to his country. Further, threatening a witness, whether they fear you or not, must be severly punished. Witness cooperation and testimony is the backbone of every trial.
15
So threatening a judge isn't a serious crime?
8
When the rule of law goes, so goes the country. Please, American voters - fix this. As a former DOJ lawyer here, this turns my stomach...
25
What a hot mess our Southern neighbours are in. It scares me to think as Canadians we rely on the US for protection against the likes of Russia. Trump was right about one thing: we need to start paying our NATO fees and looking inward for our own defense. We can’t rely on a country that is flailing so badly.
3
@Nancy D
Sure thing. We should all listen to a former DOJ lawyer from Canada.
Instead of distancing himself from convicted felons, this American president whines on Twitter that his felon-buddies Roger Stone and Paul Manafort are mistreated. And his toady AG reverses a sentencing recommendation by career attorneys as an offering to please the orange king.
If the planet survives our foolish elections and faux impeachment “trials”, I hope I live long enough to read historians’ denouncement of the tragic trump presidency and the battering democracy survived. I pray it holds. My heart breaks a bit more every day.
Vote them out! Vote out all Trumpians in November, no matter who the Democratic candidate is.
23
...and 50% or so, thinks this is all ok, this obvious abuse of power from Trump. How did you get there? You've always been there, but now you have a President who knows how to get them visible and motivated.
7
Your democracy is being flushed down the drain!
I guess the silver lining is that all (hopefully) is simply done in plain sight now, and that you will soon be able to vote ...
On the other end, how many years will it take to mend your country, institutions and population after this mess?
(plus one can and should already expect now that the economical cycle will catch up on you and the careless trump policies by then...)
trump is the biggest mistake ever to happen to your country, I guess it is finally something he would be right to brag about..
21
The World Federation of Banana Republics and Oligarchies has just sent a formal protest to the United Nations to keep the U.S.A out of its membership. "We simply can't tolerate having such a 3rd rate banana republic attempting to join our proud organization. Unlike the current American government and its so-called " Republicans and President, we have striven for decades to show at least some subtlety in our crimes against the rule of law and our peoples, a concept and standard that the U.S.A. government just doesn't seem to grasp."
9
Remember, voters, there is only one party that has demonstrated its willingness to, unabashedly, enable an unhinged, greedy man in his endeavor to erode our democracy most likely for his own gain. Worse yet, most are complicit, and probably benefitting themselves.
We’ve reached a point of no return. We will lose our democracy and our planet if we continue to look the other way and assume it’s politics as usual.
Right now, only one party (sadly) still believes in facts and solving the big issues on our horizon. The other (Republicans) continue to believe in fairy tales and alternative “facts” and suppression.
For the sake of hope and a future, vote blue... give us, your children, your friends, your neighbors, ... anyone... a fighting chance for the future (and perhaps a day we can bicker about small partisan differences again).
We may not be able to stop election interference or the possibility that this awful wanna-be dictator may not want to leave office. But we need to come out. And bring our friends, and neighbors, and hope with us this November, when we VOTE BLUE (any shade of blue) and VOTE TO BRING BACK OUR FUTURE!
11
DOJ has been corrupted by Trump (and Barr). Trump is not an attorney and does not know anything about sentencing guidelines or justice for that matter. Further, threatening a witness has to be severely punished because witness testimony is the backbone of every trial. Those who do not oppose Trump's actions in this matter are anti-rule of law and pro authoritarianism. In short, they are unAmerican.
14
Hopefully Judge Jackson (whom Stone threatened) will stand strong, and impose a sentence of at least 30 months.
That would permanently bar him from the UK.
12 months would bar him from Australia and NZ.
And his status as a convicted felon alone bars him from Canada, even if he's pardoned.
14
May Judge Berman uphold the law, and do not give in to pressures from the WH and or AG Barr. It’s very troublesome what we continue to witness, and hope for law scholars with ethics come out in force to protect and restore our justice system.
6
When is the next demonstration protesting this and the overall loss of the rule of law in our society? We all need to get loud and get active and stand up to this tyranny. All my life, I have listened to my cousins in Mexico complain about blatant corruption in Mexico and lack of accountability for their lying, cheating, stealing politicians. And I always think - why do regular people in Mexico feel so powerless to stop this immoral illegal behavior by their leaders? We must stand up to this mafia-esque criminal outrageous behavior by our President and his henchpeople. We must not allow ourselves to fall into the false belief that we are powerless. We must fight back! Massive demonstrations are needed now! And we can't give up!
7
Fortunately the judge who will decide the appropriate sentence for Mr. Stone presided over the jury trial and other proceedings in this case and is in the best position to levy appropriate punishment for the felonies committed. Compared to his experience on the Federal bench, it is unlikely that the revised Justice Department sentencing memo will have a material effect on his ultimate decision or corrupt his judgment.
1
@T.E.Duggan The judge is a she.
1
This is an attack on the core of democracy, the rule of law. It cannot stand. I've no idea how this demonic person can be stopped or controlled. I know there are many heroic people involved in this struggle and I hope through them the country will survive as a democracy until next November.
8
Mr. Barr has demonstrated repeatedly that as Attorney General, he represents Trump’s interests, not the nation’s, and certainly not the rule of law.
Trump’s petulant tweet defending his buddy, Roger Stone, can be seen as his usual, legally uninformed reaction. Mr. Barr, on the other hand, has no excuse for his flagrant meddling. To undermine his own team of prosecutors is a shameless abuse of power.
While it is true that the presiding judge will sentence Stone as she sees fit, and could ( and should! ) opt to ignore the new recommendations, it doesn’t much matter. Unless she gives Stone no more than a slap on the wrist, Trump may very well decide to pardon him.
It is time for Barr to be disbarred.
11
Why is the FACT that the 4 prosecutors violated DOJ’s procedure and filed a motion with their recommended sentence without clearing it with their superiors...as is normally the case...buried so deeply in the article? They should be fired, not enshrined. It seems that there are people within DOJ (and within its subsidiary FBI) who believe “procedures” are only to be followed if it is to their advantage. Clean ‘em out.
3
@JPE The only FACT in this case is Roger Stone is guilty and, like all guilty people, should be dealt with through the courts – without the undue interference of the guilty's friends who happen to have some extraordinary influence. Such undue influence is commonly called corruption.
Secondly, a federal prosecutor does not need to get approval for sentencing guidelines. You are wrong here.
3
Okay. I think the appropriate response to Trump’s lawlessness is for the next Democratic president to announce a massive amnesty of all prisoners of nonviolent crime. Including undocumented immigration. That should blow their minds.
7
It is now undeniable, we live in a big banana republic under the dictatorship of Donald J Trump. Having three equal branches of government is now history. The courts are neutered, and the Congress takes its orders from our dictator.
Now all witnesses in the impeachment investigation by the House are being persecuted by state media first, then the Trump no-justice department will investigate our honorable heros on orders from our dictator. Trump cronies who are convicted criminals, go free, honest men and women who turned state evidence against our criminal dictator, will be persecuted and prosecuted. I'll vote, if I am allowed.
5
Lawyers handling any trial, especially a criminal prosecution, put everything they have into their cases. For someone to come along and cut them off at the knees at the end is intolerable, apart from all the societal abuses.Ditto, the Mueller team that put the case together. Do you have any sense of decency,Mr. Trump? We all know the answer.
2
“The development immediately prompted questions about whether the Justice Department was bending to White House pressure.”
What difference does that make.? Trump knows he can do whatever he wishes and nobody can stop him now. This is just the beginning and looks subtle compared to what Trump will be doing.
Thank you Mitch McDonnell
3
'... and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.'
Well, I guess that's gone now.
MAGA? Yes, Make America's Government Authoritarian.
6
It seems to me there are a few more impeachments in order — not just for Trump, but his enablers.
8
Will DOJ be able to recover? In 1977, just a few years after Nixon, it had. The rotten head was removed and honor restored. I did not hesitate to take a position there over a leading NYC law firm. Trump and his puppet Barr, however, are not content with their own wrong decisions; they want to root out those who might question their decisions.
4
Time to fire up the next impeachment inquiry. It looks like Senators Collins, Murkowski, Rubio, and Alexander may get a do-over.
4
Stone, Nixon's dirty tricks man has been allegedly performing dirty tricks since the Nixon administration for almost the last half century.
Our nation has watched Stone's antics in the news each time he came out of court in the Trump administration. He is definitely not on his death bed.
Stone is only 67, and will live long past the initially proposed 9 year sentence, which is merely that of the prosecution team.
Finally, the Judge in this case will make the determination. This should not be the job of the Justice Department. How often have we read and heard about other administrations taking charge of the sentencing of convicted individuals?
The only injustice here was that done to the professional prosecution team which did its job, and no more, nor less.
4
Stone's "long standing battle with anxiety" almost sounds as serious as a case of " affluenza"!
7
Roger, where's your walker?
2
I am grateful to these courageous prosecutors who realize the gravity of the president’s attempt to subvert our country’s judicial integrity through the intervention of a subservient DOJ headed by William Barr. Roger Stone has been convicted of seven felonies, flaunts his corruption shamelessly and deserves no leniency whatsoever.
7
Republicans in the Senate told us that we could, as voters, remove the current president if we didn't like what he was doing. It has now become painfully obvious that any time-honored, institutionalized process that produces an outcome the current president doesn't like will be challenged and potentially undone.
We really are fools if we think our option to vote in a new president in 2020 will be honored or accepted by this criminal and his underlings. Assuming we overcome the inevitable Russian - and perhaps Chinese - influence in our elections, We the People need to ensure that our vote for a new president will put that individual in the White House without an attempted coup by someone unable to deal with reality.
5
There are two problems here—corruption and the ridiculous length of federal criminal sentences. I wish these prosecutors had resigned because they couldn’t show leniency in all their other cases instead of that their bosses required leniency in this one.
Just remember the senator who will hold the carrot out to vote with her conscience, always and we do mean always caves and votes for Trump and his criminal acts. Sue say goodbye now.
6
Will this change your vote. Will this make you get out and vote? Trump is on his way to a second term and will make it if you don’t get out and vote.
4
Since the very day Trump was aquitted, his minions have been coming out from behind the curtain.
William Barr is openly doing Trump's bidding as is shown here.
Barr didn't hesitate to report that he's opened up a Giuliani Ukraine info pipeline.
The Senate GOP picked up the ball on the Biden/Ukraine investigation for Trump by requesting and getting documents on the Bidens from the Dept of Treasury. The same Treasury department that obstructed the House on their document request. That's now sitting in a court.
It's no wonder that Joe Biden's campaign lead has fallen off since his name has negatively been in the news everyday since the impeachment investigation started months ago.
6
William Barr did not "SEEM TO SIDE" with Trump.
William Barr did side with Trump. Are these reporters blind?
Will reporters ever report on the White House corruption truthfully, or will you continue to use language designed to minimize these corrupt actions?
I can always count on these reporters to raise a lot of questions as to whether there is any truth to the actions of the Trump/Barr White House. Why, maybe we are all dreaming! After all, I'm sure reporters can get a quote from their Justice Department sources that it was all a dream and Roger Stone was never found guilty at all! And then smugly justify that quite by adding "Trump critics disagree that it was all a dream".
4
Given the corrupt track record of Trump, the Republicans, the Cabinet and the Judiciary/Barr etc...what makes us even think that there will be an election in November 2020?
3
Vote. Making your voice heard at the ballot box in November is the only way to stop the creeping authoritarianism. Vote as if the
rule of law, the standing of America in the world and the plight of the planet depended upon it.
4
I think their lives were threatened by Trump considering the way they resigned. That’s what dictators do.
2
Just another example of why Trump is unfit for the office he holds. Every time Trump makes a decision, a reasonable suspicion is that he wants to cover up some crime or enrich himself. Why Trump supporters do not understand this is a mystery to me.
1
I have commented here earlier about the dangerous abuse of power by President Trump in his obvious personal and political corruption of the Stone sentencing. I neglected to address an even more corrupt circumstance orchestrated by Trump. Trump nominally named Liu to a high position requiring her to vacate her office as the US Attorney for DC. This allowed the appointment of a close confidant of Barr as the US Attorney of the office handling at least two highly sensitive political investigations, Comey and McCabe. Trump has openly, vigorously and repeatedly opined that each was criminally culpable of some crime against Trump. Trump now has a grip on those investigations.
4
Since the shutdown of the impeachment trial, we've seen a nasty victory dance and a collection of piked heads.
Now we see Justice Department interference in support of one of Boss Trump's pals.
Does anyone recall Adam Schiff's words about what would follow a trial without witnesses or documents?
The Presidency, the Senate and the Justice Department are under attack.
Not only must Trump be defeated in the next election, a corrupt Republican Senate must be voted out too.
4
Think hard why all except for one stepped away and the last resigned do you thinks was because they were angry or they mishandled the case the fact that Bill Clinton appointed IG weighed in tells you something isn’t quite right, it will be interesting to see how many were dirt besides those FBI already removed. The ones making the loudest noises usually have the most to hide making a Clinton weigh-in intriguing Anyone notice Schiff posturing as well?
Are there other current cases being derailed by Barr? Wasn't there a Southern District of NY investigation into Giuliani, for instance?
As to the Stone case, I agree with Trump that sentencing recommendation of 7-9 is a miscarriage of justice. Anything less than 40 years is ridiculous for a person who set out to destroy the American elective democratic system.
1
So this is the criminal justice reform Trump speaks about at his rallies. It's called abuse of power.
He overstepped his bounds when he granted full pardons to a pair of Army officers convicted of murdering civilians and prisoners, in violation of the laws of war.
Anyone who can help him financially or politically, like Stone, gets a pass.
Bill Barr at the DOJ is so partial, so clearly in Trump's camp, he literally traveled around the world urging other countries to investigate 2016 campaign interference, for Trump's personal benefit, and on the taxpayer dime.
There is no Justice at the DOJ now.
The prosecuting attorneys had reason to drop the Stone case. They wanted to keep their high standard of ethics and not be compromised by Trump's swamp.
The bad thing is that so many good people are fleeing the corrupt Trump administration, and with good reason, that few to no one of good character is left to influence him, including elected Republicans.
And Americans are left unprotected.
1
It's an extraordinary thing to witness American democracy dying in front of our very eyes. If you read the book 'How Democracies Die' you'll understand how naive it was to assume the system would constrain Trump's worst authoritarian impulses. The events of the past week show that Trump has won and US democracy is on its last legs, and anyone who thinks there will be a free and fair election this year (or that Trump will willingly leave office if defeated) has not been paying attention.
The lack of public protest during the Trump presidency will shame the nation for generations. How can Americans look at the brave students in Hong Kong risking their lives just to protect the territory's semi-autonomy and not feel a profound sense of shame that they let over 200 years of hard-fought democratic rights fall from their grasp without even attempting a fightback?
3
I don't understand quitting in protest.
How about performing your duties honorably in protest? Make them fire you for doing the right thing.
All that is left from a resignation is a vacuum that someone with less character will be happy to fill.
1
The Mob has taken over the police department. It may not matter what the judge decides as with the presidential pardon to keep the witness to the crimes silent, justice as a matter of law is thwarted again by Trump.
3
This is a clever ploy by Trump, who does not expect the judge to follow his recommendation. But any sentence by the judge will now be used as an excuse to pardon Stone.
It is taking some time, but finally we are learning how Trump's head works.
2
The corrosiveness of Trump’s touch is beyond dispute and was predictable. What is truly shocking is how receptive all he touches are to that corrosiveness. Rule of Law is rapidly degenerating into Rule of Trump, and the next nine months are going to test the Constitution to its limits. The GOP is lost, so now Democrats must step up to the one critical issue: VOTE TRUMP OUT! The world is watching, with bated breath.
2
Disgusted and determined not to let it get to me, I began the morning donating to Susan Collins Democratic opponent in Maine. Turning the Senate and voting out Trump seem the only way to restore rule of law.
I profoundly hope if the democracy is reclaimed in the next election that Barr will face not only investigation but losing his license to practice.
4
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
Yesterday the motto was "Too big to jail": "According to a 2016 report prepared by Republican staff of the House Committee on Financial Services, Holder and other Justice Department officials had overruled the recommendation of prosecutors to pursue criminal charges against HSBC for its alleged role in money-laundering, instead settling with the bank for the then-record amount of $1.9 billion."
1
First prosecutor to quit, Zelinsky, is only 36. Other three are 38, 42, & 42.
A little young. Their sudden withdrawal is a sign they didn’t have the political maturity to be in these positions in the first place. And it perhaps reveals their political slant in prosecuting the case.
Why withdraw in such a zealous huff?
Playing politics, boys?
3
@James
Zealous - mmm. I mean I suppose that’s one read. But I’m going with they were frightened for the integrity of the justice department and terrified for the rule of law in general. But sure, it’s all politics. The democrats have just been silly enough to believe that the basic rules are not negotiable... the republic is holding on by a thread.
7
Ah, youth! Never willing to sit impartially by and watch democracy and justice cast aside. To be so impetuous again...
3
Good grief. FYI, there are principled people in the world.
4
"The new filing also noted that Mr. Stone is a senior citizen with no prior criminal record."
Aha. And, don't forget, Mr. Trump is also a senior citizen with no prior criminal record.
21
@hschmelz Mr. Trump does seem to be adept at avoiding jail time – so far.
1
Well, what did you truly expect in the 4th season of House of Cards?
If you're not careful there are another 4 seasons to follow, after which the U.S. Republic will cease to exist.
15
Spoiler alert: Everyone is going to say that the Democrats put up weak candidates, so they'll have no choice but to stay home or vote for the guy who is making the economy "great".
Get ready for another 4 years of America's budding authoritarian. He'll be hitting his stride soon.
2
We have many laws but evidently they are only to be used to aid the crooked leaders and rich of this country. Can we still label our country a true democracy? I think not. What is a country that leaders threaten retribution and blackmail for their own benefit? What is a country that makes sure it’s voters don’t get to vote or their votes count? What is a country that takes away the rights of its people? No we can no longer call ourselves a democracy. And to think the man and his party are to blame for it. And no sadly I don’t think I am being too emotional or dramatic. I state what I feel most of us do. What are we ?
16
Seems as though the judge is really on the hot seat now.
Mr Shea's revised submission may not unfairly be viewed as merely expressing the reconsidered prosecutorial view that 7 to 9 years is excessive, but ultimately acknowledging that deference to the court is required.
So, in light of the defense team's request that Mr Stone be sentenced to less than 15 months in prison - the least serious punishment under the guidelines for his crimes - splitting Solomon's baby would be something on the order of finding the midpoint between, say, 14 months and 6 years.
But, wanting to be scrupulously fair, the judge will surely want to take into account (1) that '...Mr. Stone’s defense team also said his violations of Judge Jackson’s orders should not count against him because the criminal proceedings had exacerbated his “longstanding battle with anxiety” and that he had corrected that problem through therapy ... ;' and (2) that he is a senior citizen (67 years of age) with no prior criminal history.
One possibility to "manifestly fairly" account for those factors might be the midpoint between 0 and 14 months. With follow-up therapy as necessary or helpful.
There are doubtless other ways to get to the same judicially fair place, destroying any inference that Mr Stone's disobeying the judge's orders skewed the result.
It is obvious that the president will continue to corrode the separation of powers of our government. The Republicans in the Senate chose not to correct Mr. Trump and set our republic right. We, the people, must do so in November, 2020.
14
I don't foresee any kind of Shea rebellion here.
1
The Department of Justice is increasingly becoming a political weapon for Donald Trump, and Republican states have become more brazen about recklessly purging voter rolls, etc.
The Democratic Party needs to start thinking about doing what it can to prepare for the November elections from a standpoint of helping states avoid irregularities. There should be no more election results delayed because pranksters have tied up phone lines, as occurred in Iowa last week. Last-second surprises like broken election machines and buggy computer programs like the Iowa Shadow app need to be avoided by examining them months before November.
The Democratic Party cannot depend on law, precedent, or any niceties for protection in this year's elections. They must imagine and act to prevent previously unimaginable scenarios in order to prevent an unthinkable result in November. And they cannot count on the courts to always adjudicate disputes fairly.
10
I understand the purpose and honor of "resignation in protest," but wouldn't perhaps refusing to abide by the DOJ request, or some other form of very public contestation of this DOJ move bring more attention to the problem in what the DOJ did? It might mean being fired, but that might bring even more attention to the cause these prosecutors are trying to highlight.
17
I , for some reason , always think of the military veterans who gave their lives and service to a country that really doesn’t exist anymore and probably never did as I sit astounded at this country now . There has to be quite a few veterans who feel betrayed and conned . I am gratefully and proudly NOT a military veteran and do not venerate the vets
19
Only in America. And Russia. And North Korea. And Cuba. And Venezuela. And...
55
Why not wait to see if Mr. Stone atones and can earn early release on his own merits. Did Mr. Stone but Trump up to this or he would release more information, they way Cohen did, if he didn't come through for him? Mr. Trump is probably aware that in the old days, when America was great, mob bosses dealt with loose ends in a more efficient and businesslike manner. Silence was so much cheaper then. Perhaps Mr. Trump can bring that way of dealing with the caught and captured witnesses he wishes would go away. "Just take her out," is how he put it on the tape with his close buddies about how to remove of Marie L. Yovanovitch.
12
Stone is one of the more vicious players involved with Republican politics in the US over the past several decades!
Naturally the fascist who occupies the White House want's him to pay no penalty for his criminal behavior!
They both need to serve a few years in prison!
37
The recomended sentence by federal prosecutors of seven to nine years (!) in prison appears very excessive. In view of that, the Justice Dept. is justified in making a new recommendation.
Randy Credico, the witness who was allegedly threatened by Roger Stone, indicated that he never believed a serious threat had been directed at him.
"Mr. Credico himself submitted a letter asking the judge not to send Mr. Stone to prison, saying incarceration damaged both prisoners and their families. While he stood by his testimony during the trial, he wrote, “I never in any way felt that Stone himself posed a direct physical threat to me or my dog.”"
@ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/10/us/roger-stone-prison-sentence.html
75
@Yossarian-33 Judges exist to work with that information. It's not the DOJ's job to steer judges unless there are considerations that are outside of the judge's jurisdiction.
299
@Yossarian-33
So Randy Credico didn’t feel threatened? Does that make threatening a witness any less of a crime?
And what about the other crimes for which Roger Stone was convicted? Does one witness not feeling threatened negate all the wrongdoing?
Yossarian-33, your argument presents an easily dismissed Catch-22.
207
@Yossarian-33 nice defense, but you forgot this part : "They also said that he had lied under oath and forged documents as investigators sought to understand how the 2016 Trump campaign tried to benefit from stolen Democratic documents"
518
The comments here demonstrate a level of repugnance that is hard to fathom.
Stone is a contemptible human being, but he lied about something he didn’t actually do. He asked somebody to not answer questions. These are serious crimes.
However, nine years for a man of his age is a death sentence. NOTHING he did warrants death in prison. A year, two, maybe three, but the prosecutors who recommended that sentence should be disbarred, just out a sense of basic decency and all of you who crow about the oppressed and hate Trump for his derision of societal norms are just as bad, if not worse.
Where is your sense of proportionality? Why are you not screaming that people who took spaces at universities that should have gone to qualified applicants get 14 days, of a couple of months. Crimes with actual victims. My God, have no decency?
12
Uh, you forgot to mention Stone's utter lack of remorse and disdain for the judicial process. And of course threatening the judge and witness. Icing on the cake would be his Assange connection and that trivial Wikileaks that threw the US election.
47
You're missing the point. Trump intervened to have a sentence recommendation--not even a sentence, just the recommendation--reduced, and the Justice Department spinelessly complied. This was before he was even sentenced. It's the level of political interference and Barr's willingness to cooperate that is so outrageous.
53
@JJSinAZ , it's completely and totally nuts. And, although I voted for Obama twice (three times if you count the 2008 primary), most of the main-stream media didn't lift an eyelash when Obama NSA Director James Clapper engaged in the EXACT SAME CRIME of perjury, this time before Congress, regarding mass warrantless surveillance of US citizens on US soil. Instead of getting the full prosecution treatment, Clapper was not only not prosecuted at all, he was rewarded for his work in service of the egregious abuses of the national security state with paid speaking gigs on CNN, etc.
5
Federal guidelines are 17-21 months. Prosecutors ask for seven to nine years. Someone needs to investigate the motives of the prosecutors.
9
@John
Posting a picture online of the judge in the crosshairs and intimidating witnesses likely had something to do with the request for a more severe sentence.
You can try to defend the actions of the criminal in the White House all you want. There is no defense just like there were no witnesses in his defense during his impeachment.
28
@John. Where do you find the 17 - 21 month guideline?
10
Did you read this part of the article?
"In their sentencing memorandum on Monday, federal prosecutors said that Mr. Stone should serve up to nine years because he threatened a witness with bodily harm, deceived congressional investigators and carried out an extensive, deliberate, illegal scheme that included repeatedly lying under oath and forging documents.
Even after he was charged in a felony indictment, the prosecutors said, Mr. Stone continued to try to manipulate the administration of justice by threatening Judge Jackson in a social media post and violating her gag orders."
32
This week Trump has demonstrated that he is above the law and he can do any thing he wants.
Trump owns the senate.
Trump owns the attorney general.
Trump owns the state department
People are afraid to disagree with Trump.
Trump does not own congress. However congress now has no power.
A
What does this mean? I wonder if the Chief Justice and republican senators can sleep at night? Do they feel guilty?
In history we will see the USA in t set me of pre and post Trump.
I guess if you are white and middle to upper class you believe that the new world order will cater to people of your race and class.
Are we still a democracy?
56
I’m white, male, upper-middle class, Tom McClintock is my congressman...I’m just the right person to benefit from all of this. And yet I am despairing for my country.
39
Stone's obstruction and stonewalling is why Mueller was not able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt Trump's conspiracy with Russia to defraud the US and our 2016 elections. He was the lynch pin to it all with his go betweens with Wikileaks and Trump. Without Stone's obstruction Trump likely would have been indicted by Mueller for conspiracy. This is why this is so huge and also so sad for our country.
4367
@Raydeohed
Mueller could have proved all of his allegations beyond any doubt, with audio, video, virtual reality, or whatever, and absolutely nothing would have been done about it. Nothing. Trump is somehow untouchable. I am finally convinced that there is no "too far" for the MAGAnistas.
The only remaining option is overwhelming opposition at the ballot box, assuming that our November elections do not end up irrepairably rigged.
302
@Raydeohed
"Stone's obstruction and stonewalling is why Mueller was not able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt Trump's conspiracy with Russia to defraud the US and our 2016 elections."
Or because there was no 'conspiracy' to prove.
How about that?
20
@Raydeohed
What indication is there that Stone has anything even resembling "proof beyond a reasonable doubt" that Trump conspired with Russia?
14
This simply proves that we are living in a fascist country.
33
The Justice Department's trend toward working as a personal law firm for Donald J. Trump has gone way, way too far.
5275
@David Behrman It doesn't matter what the sentence is, Trump will pardon both Roger Stone and Michael Flynn.
67
@David Behrman ...Don’t overlook the role of his Republican lackeys who are sworn to protect our Constitution. Vote blue no matter who in November. Most of them won’t last more than one term anyway; we can worry about the small stuff later.
128
@Jacquie Better for the country that he pardon them than set a precedent of presidential interference being allowed in another branch of government: the judicial system. That would have long term, damaging ramifications for the country.
21
As the fellow said, Mr. Stone is a senior citizen with no previous criminal record. The same people who insist that incarceration should be contingent on degree of danger to the public here call for locking Stone up and tossing away the key. This case is different than, say, Obama overruling the Dept. of Defense and commuting the sentence of Chelsea Manning, because reasons.
6
How about Trump's mass incarceration of people who are truly innocent of wanting nothing more than a life safe from autocratic leaders like Trump.
22
You’re comparing Trump tampering with the sentencing of a close friend to Obama commuting the sentence of prisoner? Reasonable people can debate Obama’s decision but there is no defense for Trump’s meddling in this case.
26
@HMI
The system depends on witnesses telling the *truth*. If a witness can lie, knowing there is no real repercussion, there is no value to the underlying statement! You aren't even cognizant of the burden prosecutors must satisfy to show perjury (it is very hard to meet).
Take the above and add to it that Mr. Stone threatened to harm witnesses and the federal judge overseeing his trial, and you tell me why that sort of behavior deserves a "slap on the wrist."
13
This is getting just plain scary. Our government is becoming authoritarian under our very eyes. When will Trump and his Republican allies start to retaliate against American citizens who don't support or vote for him? Oh wait... he's already started to do that.
18
This isn’t a democracy anymore, it is a total dictatorship. When the justice Department interferes with justice, to protect a criminal, it is beyond sad, it is criminal.
412
@BB Your comment is inaccurate and an insult to the millions of people who live in actual dictatorships If Trump was an actual dictator Stone would never have been tried in the first place , there would have been no Mueller investigation, and no impeachment trial. The sentence recommendation against Stone was excessively harsh and absurd. Trump who has the absolute power to pardon him if he wishes certainly as head of the executive branch which the Justice department is part of has the right to comment about it. Time for the left to give up the Trump as dictator fantasy and actually appeal to the voters in November and defeat Trump if they can
3
@BB You are unfortunately 100% correct. For most people what the United States has become will take some time to sink in.
5
@BB no it was a dictatorship & slowly those who misused power are being removed.
2
Trump, emboldened by his acquittal of abuse of power and obstruction of justice, is now unleashed and brazenly committing the same crimes for which he was impeached. This outlaw is out of control. This is not a time for complacency. Our democracy is in jeopardy.
11
I don't blame the prosecutors for pulling out of the case or resigning. Comes a time when an ethical person has to do that to protest unfairness and wrong-doing. But I shiver to think who they will be replaced with. No doubt it will be loyalists to the Trump agenda of replacing absolutely everyone who might disagree with him. He wants everyone in lockstep agreement with him. He wants to retaliate against any and all who he perceives of not supporting him. Democracy is based on the right of dissension, the right to question authority. Otherwise we have a dictator or monarch or despot pulling all the strings. It's difficult to understand how the American people can allow this. The man in the WH complains of the deep state. He IS the deep state.
14
This is really getting very serious. I'm sorry to admit this but secretly I'm hoping for a military coup here. Not just with this, but that he's also going to ask the military to penalize Vindman for testifying. I'm thinking that a coup would likely bring a sense of urgency to end this runaway corruption.
8
I too have felt that something quite catastrophic would have to happen to change the course of our country. There is rampant corruption and unlawful actions that overrun this land. And the person and government body to protect us are the very ones tearing our country apart.
1
Three separate but equal branches of governmentis no more, as Trump has Congress stymied; the courts are now Trump-stacked and mere pawns, and the Justice Department has become Trump's personal, vendetta-enriched law firm.
By the way, what about those "audited" tax returns? -- not that it matters much with an imperial president/dictator.
12
It only gets worse because no one can stop him. The US Constitution is the American Dream. The 2020 election is not an adequate safeguard against the tyranny of trump. All of the pundits and politicians and journalists and the NYT commenters state the obvious outrage, have done so for three years, but no one has an answer to the problem of losing the Republic. What then do we do?
7
We are a country without a heart. Without reason. Without trust. Without faith. Without love. Without justice. We are lost, fatigued, and blinded. We are becoming a failed state. Oh, heavens—how far we have fallen, and how quickly.
9
All four of these prosecutors lied to the DOJ, got caught then resigned. They ran away in an attempt to avoid criminal charges they may face. If not criminal charges then ethics charges which could get them disbarred.
3
The fact that the entire office of the Attorney General now works for the personal benefit of Donald Trump should not come as a surprise to anyone. Thanks to the GOP this level of corruption is now the new norm.
11
Great, that is how “Banana Republics” work, the top banana places family and friends all over key government positions and threatens all those that don’t follow the party line.
I would have never expected this to happen in the USA, as we can see not much different from Venezuela, Bolivia etc.
17
After reading the NYT's article about Trump's war on the "deep state," it's clear that Trump is paranoid and out of control. The way he's chopping heads and asking the military to punish someone who testified under subpoena is not the American way. it is the way of a dictator. Why can't the Senate see how deranged Trump is? They are protecting him when they ought to be protecting America.
22
The president’s remedy for what he sees as an improper sentence is limited to the power of pardon. I don’t see how the Department of Justice can fail to be disqualified from handling this case any further under the most fundamental ethics rules.
14
When do responsible government officials finally break ranks with their president, when surely they are being pressed into yet another scheme involving Trumps’ friend Stone? Offcourse Trump ordered them to carry out this scheme, offcourse he did, only much more secretive than before his impeachment. Surely other schemes will follow or are in place right now. So before this country is surrendered to a dictator, without any possible checks and balances left and with every opponent destroyed, responsible people need to step up and tell the American the truth about ‘their’ president. So tape the guy, make records, gather emails, because only the smoking gun is still missing to make him go away. In history they will be seen as true Americans.
20
One law for the rulers, one law for the ruled.
16
Laws are being broken to punish the ruled and free the guilty.
1
Judge Berman, let us remember, is free to sentence as she sees fit.... She would do well to show AG Barr where he can put his guidelines.
35
@Timothy, I'm guessing Trump will pardon Stone in any case.
Just one more step to the end of the AMERICAN REPUBLIC! When will we realize how deep in the abyss we are?
Thank you trump supporters, Mitch Mc Connell, Lindsey Graham, and the entire Republican Party.
And a very special “Thank You” to the Federalist Society for giving us Barr. What a gift!
22
If we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem
6
Trump now has the Department of “Justice”, the Supreme Court, is moving on most of the district and appellate courts, and the Senate...The Democrats are chasing their tails, and, there are 265 days until the election. Plus, if he loses in November he will then have 78 days to burn what’s left of the country to the ground. Nightly night!
8
Who cares what the prosecutors or the President or the DOJ say. It is up to the Judge. Everyone has the right to an opinion. I don't blame the President. He was called everything under the sun. So if he reacts a little bit, are you upset? At the end of the day, it is up to the judge. She still can give him 9 years!
4
@Joseph
What if she gives him considerably less than 9 years?
'Justice must not only be done, it must also be seen to be done'
1
I have to say, Trump is proving to be a far better student of Putin than I had thought. He already had terrorized the banking industry, somehow coercing them (or at least Deutsche Bank) into continuing to finance his ventures. He's put the executive under his control, through combined loyalty and incompetence of his appointees. Professional high-ranking officials are resigning/retiring/being fired in droves as his new policies 1) undo his predecessor's agenda and 2) enrich his comrades.
The shadiness of his judicial appointees is matched by his shoddy treatment of any judges appointed by predecessors.
The media is discredited by lying, derision, and the construction of an alternate reality where his opponents are really the ones conspiring to destroy the country. At least half the country either believes his version or is enjoying their economic benefits and has no interest in finding out why the other half of the country is paralyzed with fear and hysteria.
The depth of his political appointees means it's likely impossible to move back to a standard of truthfulness and trust. Giving Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom demonstrates how his loyal minions get rewarded. Most people wouldn't recognize truth or virtue if it slapped them in the face.
I keep thinking this one of those ridiculous satires I'll wake up from. Imagine what the next four years will hold after his wins his second term. I fully expect him to work his way around the 22nd Amendment or run Junior as his VP.
12
In the normal world no one ever gets charged with obstruction on an investigation that determines there was no underlying crime. And if they do, they would get probation. This is just Weismann (who ran the “Mueller” investigation) punishing people close to Trump. Unfortunately, Manafort still rots in jail.
9
The investigation uncovered multiple underlying crimes. There were convictions and many outstanding indictments.
And at no point did Mueller “exonerate” Trump. If you read the report, you will see that he said they found no evidence of collusion, but couldn’t rule out the possibility that it had been destroyed in several cases.
2
@Ian, instead of "they found no evidence of collusion," I would say they were unable to prove a criminal conspiracy.
2
A jury determined plenty of direct criminal culpability, I trust the jury.
Actions against Trump supporters has been prejudiced since even before he took office. We know that the Justice Department abused its powers and one official even altered an official document presented to the FISA court to falsely support a FISA warrant to monitor US citizens to get dirt on Trump and the Trump campaign. The same FISA warrant and its successors failed to mention that the subject of FISA warrant had been a graduate of the US Naval Academy and served as a US Naval Officer, but even more importantly that he regularly reported on his business activities and observations in Russia to US officials.
The prejudice of the Justice Dept burequcracy against Trump officials and supporters was fully exposed in the failure to explain to the FISA Court that the Steele Memo (in large part a justification for the surveillance) was unverified and unverifiable according to Director Comey.
And there remains the Stock/Page bias as shown on their phone calls attacking Trump and his dirty/smelly Walmart shoppers while using the FBI phone system for personal/political purposes in violation of FBI policy.
And the Mueller Chief Prosecutor who demonstrated his impartiality and appearance of impartiality while attending the Clinton presidential victory campaign.
Yes there is certainly enough to be concerned that the Justice Dept prosecutors were going overboard with their prejudices on the case by recommending such a harsh sentence which could result in death for 72 year-old Stone.
3
Wow, I guess those texts that were personal yet released to the public gets one going. Doubt and shade are easy to throw about, Roger Stone has bragged about his "dark agent" (corrupt and evil while trying to remain lawful) for years. He threatened a long time friend with harm and harm to his dog (!) which given his connections generated deep fear (as sworn to) but not over a misunderstanding, he threatened to hurt someone unless he lied under oath to the Federal government to protect Mr Stone. He talked to other witnesses, apparently more politely, also asking them to dissemble, under gag order he talked to the press and went online to threaten the Federal judge hearing his case. If he weren't connected wealthy and white he'd be looking at 20-25 years.
This is nothing. Just wait until Trump cancels the November 3rd elections because he says they are rigged. You are stuck with him. What' you gonna do then? Nothing. Because the stock market will seem OK!
So who cares about elections, the Senate, DOJ or the Weather Service? The Chosen One will take care of all of that. Didn't see that coming did you!
Trump cheated all his life. You think he'll just leave the White House and take up residency at Leavenworth! Think again!
41
Banana banana banana...republic. American democracy is DOA.
28
"Unlawful command influence (UCI) is a legal concept within American military law. UCI occurs when a person bearing 'the mantle of command authority' uses or appears to use that authority to influence the outcome of military judicial proceedings."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unlawful_command_influence
12
Hopefully the judge will sentence Stone to at least 9 to 15 years. Then he might be able to share a cell with a member of the Trump crime clan.
14
The Dictator Trump is taking charge just like his buddy Putin. He’ll be imprisoning political opponents and journalists in no time. Minority populations should shop for new countries now to avoid Republican persecution and genocide. I’m definitely looking at Canada and Switzerland.
18
The president has the authority to commute the sentence or even pardon Roger Stone. But his choice to question the sentence and interfere with independent judicial processes is far more disruptive to the integrity of these institutions.
But Trump is not on the side of America. I have become convinced that his are the actions of someone who seeks to destroy America.
There can be no other explanation for his willingness to hollow out and disrupt so many of our most credible institutions. Removing Trump and the GOP who are complicit in his corruption and cover-up is essential.
29
Is this a movie, a satire, a fantasy, a theater of the absurd play or the United States of America? It can't be happening here, can it?
30
Won't make much difference. Trump will pardon Stone, Manafort, etc., before he leaves office.
14
@Emily You hit the nail on the head.
Trump will undoubtedly issues pardons for his associates and anyone else he feels will offend his critics.
There is no justice possible until this corruption and his enablers are put out of office.
5
This falls squarely at the doorstep of the GOP Senate. They are enabling Trump. They shoulder the entire blame.
39
The solution is simple. We must take not only the white house but the senate as well.
This is the only chance we have to right the ship and ALL of our focus needs to be on getting this done.
27
USA is now officially a banana republic. What a mess.
37
You ain't seen nothin' yet...
22
Why does this matter when Trump will be pardoning Stone?
6
@Sam
It matters a lot. I applaud the four Justice lawyers for their integrity and courage. The Republican Senate has to be appalled.
15
@Sam
It matters because the DOJ has been politicized and that is very dangerous for any democracy.
7
Any comments or opinions in such matters by Trump are by virtue of his position an Abuse of Power. Silence is the only acceptable option as all leaders previously have exhibited. Trump is not a leader. He can't keep his mouth shut. He is worse than a nosey neighbor who can't wait to spread gossip. It is the lies he spreads to his cult following who then aid and abet him and spread his lies. If Barr still holds a law license, he should be disbarred and loose the license for his lies before Congress, the citizens and all of his illegal and unethical actions. None of Barr's actions are in line with any Code of Ethics demanded by the American Bar Association.
17
This is another disgusting case of AG Barr serving his authoritarian commander instead of the American people. A crude demagogue has managed to corrupt all the executive departments and undermine our democratic institutions and values in the process. It's also further evidence of the fragility of our system as established by the founders with the intention of preventing abuse by the separation of powers. That system is breaking down under the corrupt actions of Trump and his appointed lackeys. If this continues, we may not be assured of a fair election later this year and the continuation of our entire democracy is in doubt as well.
15
The disease was contained before and after impeachment this has gone pandemic.
Good Luck America but no matter how you look at it ... Trump will be re-elected because for some insane reason Americans think Buttigieg has some substance ... talk about shooting in the knee.
3
Trump is supporting his criminal friends and no doubt their pardons are to come. Meanwhile he openly punishes those who followed the law and did their duty during the impeachment. He's more the hinted that further action is coming toward more of his perceived enemies, including investigations. The only thing that matters to him is personal loyalty. He may pay lip service to the national loyalty, but anyone who isn't willfully ignorant should see what's before them. His supporters rally around him because of what they perceive as gains and effective leadership. Many Italians said the same of Mussolini. Trump's cult and even begrudging supporters don't stop to consider the cost at which these supposed wins come. Is it truly worth it? That's in addition to the harm he causes without benefit, such of alienation of important allies and the decimation of the state department which is necessary to avoid war and foster cooperation. It's frightening to think of how large the GOP base is. A regressive, hot-headed brood who constantly railed against President Obama for imagined transgressions as they spread lies fed to them by right-wing propaganda outlets. They've accepted the fodder that anyone not toeing the current fanatical right line are the enemy if not evil. Now they have a Dear Leader in Trump. We are goose stepping closer to fascism.
15
The United States has adopted the mantle of a banana republic, and so clumsily that it's perhaps not even worthy of that description.
The House did its job: Trump was impeached, but the US Senate waved off that guilt and left us with a clown-shaped, cheap dictator -- the consequences of which the now very un-United States is going to wrestle with, maybe forever.
14
There is no more rule of law in this country. It’s Trump and Barr deciding the judicial fate of whomever they wish to either punish or exonerate . And it is the most frightening thing I have ever had to witness and experience in this country.
I am disgusted , outraged and frightened as I see the pillars of our once great democracy crumbling before our very eyes because of a true demagogue sadly elected by a flawed undemocratic electoral college.
24
Those four cut and ran immediately.
What are they afraid of?
5
They aren't afraid of anything. They simply won't surrender their ethical obligation of exercising independent judgment to corrupt orders from above.
20
@Dr. John Resigning was not an act of fear but protest and disgust with this administration and its corruption.
2
Maybe civil war is inevitable. The status quo is unacceptable.
11
This is on the GOP. They own it.
Millions of us warned that their failure to uphold their sworn oaths to protect us from enemies foreign and domestic would have dire and immediate consequences. To not hold him accountable over Ukraine --a thoroughly impeachable offense--was to blow a whistle and tell him to have at it. They gave him express permission to do whatever he wants, including and especially if it's beyond the pale.
Now it's time for a reckoning and accountability. His and theirs. It's time to take DC by storm; millions of us need to demonstrate in the streets that we won't stand for this.
Voting, important as it is, is not enough. At this rate, there may be nothing left standing by summertime. Time to march on Washington with stops at the WH, the Capitol, and the Supreme Court because all three branches of our government have been co opted and corrupted.
It's time to take our country back.
16
The new filing also noted that Mr. Stone is a senior citizen with no prior criminal record.
Quote is from the article. To that, I could add: and he is Caucasian. Of course he gets a deal. Lock up the Brown and Black and Native Americans for life for stealing a loaf of bread, and no one speaks out.
11
is there any doubt that Barr works for Trump? End of story. No public servants here. Let's just drop the pretense and call him King Trump. He was never our president and he will never fill the role of a president. King? Tyrant? Sure, but never president.
13
And isn’t there even a small fraction of trump
Voters who can’t stomach this man any longer? Is each one of them so blind and unpatriotic that they would ignore this catastrophe of a man anymore?
14
I’m wondering just how many huge red flags have to be waving before this nightmare is put to an end.
I also want to “thank” every single gutless Republican Senator who voted to destroy our once-great country. Our Founders are now spinning in their graves.
20
and I had this weird dream where I woke up in 1970s Argentina...
20
Trump is the miscarrriage. You can fill in whatever your 'miscarriage of choice' it is.
2
Hey Susan Collins, how's that "Trump has learned his lesson" thing going for you??
22
A total disgrace .............
10
Not sure if this has been pointed out, but how about some applause for the four prosecutors who quit, following their conscience, rather than their career ambitions?
33
As an attorney, I feel nothing short of pride for the prosecutors who withdrew from the Stone case. At a minimum, the stink of corruption from serving the Trump administration will not taint their careers. First, it was America's influence upon world politics that Trump has damaged. Now, we are in danger of losing hard-fought freedoms, merely because of Trump's Twitter habit. Trump has for so long trampled upon our Constitution and our principles--like a vulture eating its prey--that the bar for upholding our system of laws has been tanked. We need more upstanding career professionals like the four prosecutors, Vindman and Yovanovitch to resist Trump's machinations any way they can, particularly in those areas of Trump's administration that we don't even know about.
24
Several NYT readers here inveigh against the criminal band of Republicans who refuse to respect the rule of law, the Constitution, and their checks-and-balances oath-of-office duty to hold totalitarian wanna-be Trump accountable. But, let us not forget the federal judiciary, which is, now, overwhelmingly stacked with Reagan, Bush, and Trump appointees. How often do Americans—who are still conscious—think these judges, many of whom have been blessed by the extreme-right Federalist Society, will cross-check Trump? It is game over, America.
13
I agree. Sad but true.
5
Everything with trump is ‘ unfair’
So says my 3 year old grandson as well but he’s not president
13
So much talk about Trump's corruption. Yes, its beyond awful, but it's the entire Republican party backing his corruption. Its beyond belief.
31
Tampering with witnesses is a crime.
Rape is a crime.
What is tampering with legal processes,
ravishing the Constitution and being personally unaccountable for temporary as well as more permanently harms to America’s democracy, its systems, their principles, norms, values and ethical underpinnings, notwithstanding their flaws?
9
Dear Susan Collins,
Thanks to you and your fellow GOP Senators, President Trump has indeed learned something. He has learned that he can commit any crime, any violation of his oath of office, or any act of treason, and because you Republican enablers will never hold him to account, he will never be held to account for it.
63
@WeHadAllBetterPayAttentionNow
Please send her and every GOP member this. They need to be hounded at every turn for what they've done. They are traitors to this nation.
14
These prosecutors left this case with their integrity intact, which is more than can be said for Mr. Barr. This president has relentlessly attacked witnesses, obstructed justice and ignored the constitutionally endowed power of a co-equal branch of government thanks to Republican senators. Because of this I, and I believe many other Americans, have zero confidence in this "Justice Department."
14
How did we get to this point? JFK said this
“That I do not intend to permit to the extent that it is in my control. And no official of my Administration, whether his rank is high or low, civilian or military, should interpret my words here tonight as an excuse to censor the news, to stifle dissent, to cover up our mistakes or to withhold from the press and the public the facts they deserve to know.”
This is the United States not this administration.
12
45* could just pardon Stone, but that's not what this is about. It's about sending a message, it's about exercising power.
22
Many commenting here on this outrage to justice have suggested that our last resort is the ballot box in November. That may be too late. I would suggest that widespread and large demonstrations in the interim would be enormously helpful, if people care. I will not pretend to be good at organizing, but if there were a national day of resistance (or 2 or 3), it would be a good thing.
49
@Gentle Reader
Couldn't agree more. I've been calling for it since the impeachment hearings began and it became clear that the entire GOP had chosen criminality --his and theirs--over justice.
Voting is not enough. It's time we took to the streets. In our millions.
20
How about a Million Whistleblower March circling the whitehouse blowing whistles. In support of the whistleblower, and truth and justice.
13
National Tax Strike this April. Millions of Americans refusing to fund Trump and the corrupt GOP. That is my dream. Unfortunately, Americans don’t have the nerve to fulfill it.
2
Time for the judge to rule and show that the rule of law prevails and not Donald Trump or Bill Barr. Does Susan Collins still believe that Trump learned anything from his impeachment? Of course not. The only conclusion for Trump was that he can do whatever he wants and confident that Republicsns will not hold him accountable. Does anyone have any doubts why Trump needs to be voted out of office.
29
This is a test We are failing it in the very same way we have failed to hold him accountable hundreds of times. History is quite clear about what happens to a populace that ignores the warning signs along the road to tyranny. Many who walked that path later voiced their own bitter sense of recrimination and guilt for failing to act before it was too late.
“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?... The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin's thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If...if...We didn't love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation.... We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.”--Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
This cursed machine needs to be halted before we go full dark.
21
One doesn’t “deserve what happened afterwards.”’
We are all challenged to enable to create ways in which each of us learns and integrates, daily, “Fail better!”
Helping each other to do so.
Each of US contributing, as best as each can, given who and what one is; isn’t and may never BE, as well as who and what we may yet BEcome, to making a difference that makes a needed and sustainable difference!
1
@S.Einstein
I tend to share your humane view. What I find fascinating is that Solzhenitsyn--who suffered this in the flesh--did not. I take his warning seriously.
4
In the Nixon administration John Dean told Nixon there was a cancer on the presidency. In the Trump administration the President is a cancer on America.
32
You would not possibly print what I think of this sick pathetic distortion of justice. With the vain hope you will convey my words to Americans who are equally disgusted and horrified at this blatant example of how out of control the whole power structure inside Trumpocracy has become; let me simply say justice in America is now a sick joke. Trump barks his marching orders to Barr and the D.O.J.; and they goose step into blind obedience. No wonder all 4 prosecutors resigned in utter disgust. No self respecting person would fail to o otherwise. The world is watching in horror as the U.S. becomes the world`s largest Banana Republic. There is no point saying anymore. Your nation is now truly in the swamp. Your entire justice system is a puppet for Trump and the G.O.P. to play with. No one can possibly ever take you seriously again with this farce on full display. Unbelievable!
32
@Greg Hodges We are the swamp. And with power. It's true. It's sickening on the deepest level.
3
We're going to take you down with us. Like we did in 2008. I'm sorry in advance. I voted for the more qualified candidate. That was all I could do.
Remember when Obama pressured DOJ to recommend a lighter sentence for one of his cronies?
(me neither)
28
@Hugh Briss
I do not recall any of Obama's friends being convicted of anything.
12
Democracy dies...
16
Does anyone get reminded of McCarthy years? ... Now using an acquittal bestowed by a bunch of old, spineless politicians (all but one) who have no respect for truth, nor the constitution, nor their oaths on the Bible (and all profess to be God-fearing persons! but such hypocrites), the newly anointed monarch blaming "deep state" and acting in petty revenge against national heroes who dared to speak the truth ! When will those despicable GOP in the senate wake up?
It is scary and we are heading for a dictatorship by a psychopath come November, no matter what the results are. The current administration and Fox News are steadily strangling the truth every day
17
Yay! Looks like Mitt Romney started an Integrity Movement.
14
So here's how it stands: 1. Trump has hijacked both Houses; 2. Trump has undermined MSM; 3. Trump has hijacked the Justice Dept.; 5. Trump has seized the Supreme Court; 6. Trump is closing in on commandeering the military; 7. Trump has rewritten the Constitution to benefit himself.
Getting to look pretty similar to a dictatorship/kleptocracy/thugtocracy.
30
Trump and his party of the compliant loudly proclaim their law and order supremacy over the rest of us. We observe an obvious exception: when the crook is Roger J. Stone, one of Trump's pals. I no longer count examples of Trump's hypocrisies. Hypocrisy is the man himself.
13
Let me get this straight; Ms Lui resigned in order to take the job offered to her at Treasury, Mr. Shea (a Barr assistant) is named as her replacement then her nomination is rescinded two days before her confirmation hearing....Hmmmmm I guess that is another way of getting rid of folks not in line with Trump/GOP.
10
Why did Susan Collins think Trump had learned his lesson?
19
She didn't. That was a petty excuse to do the bidding of the party and not rile up the GOP base.
11
@A reader She said it because she is fake moderate. She had lunch with Kavanugh and made a big deal and voted for him She is a fake and will be gone come November especially after today. I am old enough to remember Nixon and what was called the Saturday Night Massacre, but then the difference was the Attorney General quit, but those were days when Republicans could not stomach corrupt President time has changed. Lets hear Barr talk about morality and the evils of secularism loves those pedophile priests. Also he paid the boss a Christmas gift of $40,000. Jim Trautman
3
Can the A.G. be impeached or charged with high crimes & misdemeanors? Grumpy Barr needs to be investigated for corruption of what USED TO BE the U.S. Judicial System. He is making a mockery of justice. It HAS to be criminal! If NOT, then Congress needs to enact new laws and restraints.
11
Roger Stone, political operative, is the personification of all that's wrong with American politics. Lying, cheating, and destroying people is his stock in trade. The rule of law, the Constitution and the country mean nothing to him. Winning is the only thing that matters to him no matter what the means. It's not surprising that Trump supports him, but it's remarkable the he's managed to turn Stone into a victim in the eyes of so many. He's far from it. He's a convicted felon, a man who brags about his lying.
17
The emperor has no clothes. Nor do his vassals.
Time for the rest of us to battle back.
Pitchforks?
An army of tents on the Mall??
Some seem to think we are now an oligarchy...time for them to be set straight.
13
Here's Mr. Trump championing the decay of our country and we are all sitting back watching and letting it happen.
16
You do realize Trump is the military coup involving he and Congressional Republicans, don't you? They're letting you get used to it over time.
15
I may not spit on their graves, but I won't be morning a lot of the people associated with IMPOTUS Trump when they expire. I just remember to point out all the damage they did and how they were on the wrong side of right.
7
Sentence him to the max on every count, to run consecutively.
13
Our Democracy is falling apart before our eyes.
22
We are officially a criminal banana republic.
27
At least this type of corruption in Pakistan happens because someone is trying to enrich themselves illegally. In contrast activities as this in a country such as United States brings class war and even World War.
I hope these wars are limited to US and its allies far far far away from Pakistan.
6
I'm genuinely curious. When --exactly-are we going to confront the tyrant in the room? What--exactly--are we waiting for? Is it going to take having to sign loyalty pledges before we get it? Are we waiting to see journalists arrested and "punished" for covering the impeachment? Or are we really going to have to wait until the fabled gun comes out on 5th Ave before it gets through that this--none of it, not a single moment of any day since he has been elected--this is NOT normal?
THIS IS NOT NORMAL.
Yes. I'm shouting. Because the visceral evidence every day that would fill a continent still has not had an impact. We have watched him threaten and abuse our fellow citizens and still we do NOTHING. Our three branches have fallen. Checks and balances have fallen. Our reputation is gone. Former allies pity, mock, and loathe us. Crimes are committed in the open. The GOP is now openly complicit with a criminal administration.
I've watched in a sustained state of disbelief as we tick off box after box after box on the pathway to tyranny list. Aside from losing our morals, our ethics, our rule of law, our backbone,and our will to uphold what made us a democracy, we have lost any sense of self-preservation. It's the latter that is the last plank pulled before a nation falls.
WE ARE IN TROUBLE. Wake up and protest, resist, and hold them all accountable. We're running out of track and this terminus is one too many people have suffered before.
82
The man tried to corrupt the system to the greatest extent within his power to affect. I have come to believe this corruption is one of the most severe threats to each of our lives. It is destroying our civc life and faith the institutions that make democracy work. The Chinese consider it a capital offense. I am against the death penalty but the sentiment is not far off.
25
Trump has scant appreciation or respect of the judiciary, let alone justice itself. The court has deliberated and reached a reasoned, fair verdict and sentence. King Donald dissents and wants to have his way. For a president or attorney general to intervene in this less than groundbreaking case is banana republic stuff.
24
@ron glaser The attorney general appears to be beholden to the President as well.
If Barr had any sort of positive reputation it is now well and truly tainted and can never be resurrected.
6
This is what you get when you acquit a monster. It will be totally and completely unhinged and unchastened and will exact revenge daily on all of us.
33
Congress has abdicated, so why should anyone be surprised to see Justice do the same?
10
Can we just stop making this about Susan Collins?
She is a phony- so is Murkowski.
Hey Florida with 300,000 more registered Dems, when are you holding Marco Rubio to account?
Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Kentucky. Send money now to those Dems running. Don't be distracted.
47
Good for the four prosecutors, for standing up for their principles. I suppose Trump & Barr were surprised. They probably figured they’d just roll over. But—surprise!—not everyone has the ethics of a Senate Republican.
35
There is the enabled culture of BEing above the law. For some!
There is the corrupting of the law; its very parameters, their ethical underpinnings, diverse staffs,sites and structures.
There is the infusing of “law and order” with personal unaccountability.
There is the targeted desecration of THE Constitution, its principles, their implications for achievable and sustainable menschlichkeit, over time, with never-ending energies and activities, by toxic complacency and complicity by all too many ordinary folk as well as by agendaed, influential individual and systemic stakeholders.
There is increasing and unending Failing.
There is “Fail better.”
There is lawyer Welch reminding ALL Americans, and others, about “decency.”
There was a Sen. McCarthy. A Roy Cohen.
There is a Trump.
His elected and selected cohort.
Their enabling minions;choosing temporary and more chronic, willful blindness, deafness, indifference and ignorance.
About and to the daily injuries to the necessary laws and its systems.
Which underpin American democracy. With all of its historical, tradition-based flaws.
And there is an US, with the daily opportunities to choose to contribute to making a difference that can make a needed sustainable difference for...
4
oh yea. This president is transparent, alright. It's easy to be transparent when no one has the spine (hello GOP) to hold you accountable.
9
Under Trump it seems we are not a nation of Laws. He controls all the government departments, including Justice. What will happen more if he gets reelected. I thought we were not a dictatorship government but a democracy. I fear like Caesar, Trump will take even more. Thank G-d we still have a free press.
Will his end be like Caesars.First declare himself a god and then,perhaps, a few courageous senators revolt. I dread a similar bloody bath.
7
As though more proof was needed that Bill Barr is indeed Trump's coffee intern and lackey.
15
This is what happens when one branch of government makes clear that it will not constrain *any* action by another branch of government due to mob-mentality.
More frighteningly, is the fact that we actually are witnessing two, supposedly co-equal branches of government acting subservient to the executive branch.
This type of corruption and abuse will only become more and more pronounced because time and time again, President Trump, and his enablers, have been reinforced with the notion that it is *effective*.
Scary times.
13
The U.S. District Court for D.C. is 333 Constitution Ave. N.W.
Wash., D.C. 20001. A simple message to Judge Amy Berman
Jackson is simply this: "The Court must be strong and independent of those who are trying to weaken and destroy it.
Roger Stone should be sentenced to between 7 - 9 yrs for being convicted of breaking many laws." I hope Judge Jackson gets
plenty of post cards with similar messages from Americans before the sentencing.
17
Thank you for this.
7
Why not, clearly there are no limits.
2
Justice? You're kidding. In the era of Trump and Barr, justice is a joke. Go ahead. Break the rules. Break the laws. the executive branch reigns supreme above all. I feel deeply sad for our country.
14
Will Senator Graham, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, investigate this blatant obstruction of justice or be complicit in the crime? Actions define who we are.
11
The GOP has drawn the line.
Either hold to your convictions - in my case that means fairness, compassion, logic, love, open-mindedness, devotion to the truth, empathy, reason, faith in what's right, and a deep and abiding belief in equality of education, opportunity, and treatment under the law - or give in.
And the price for not giving in has just been raised.
After decades of preparation the Republicans are making their big push. They want the whole enchilada. Unlimited and unrestrained power. And it comes in the form of a proxy/patsy known as Donald J. Trump.
Thorough their actions, the GOP has fully embraced the idea of power for power's sake alone. Power not bound by anything. Not conviction. Not conscience. Not morality. Not the Constitution. Not the law. Nothing.
And what does history have to teach us about that? What happens when so much power is concentrated into the hands of so few? Well, unless the people who possess it are of such rare and altruistic character, that they use it wisely, then disaster and ruin are sure to follow.
The reason great literature about the nature of power resonates through the ages is because it has the ring of truth.
And that truth is that it's harder to wield power wisely, than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, because the traits that allow people to gain power, are antithetical to those which would allow them to use it with equanimity once it's acquired.
Trump was a vacuum, that has now become a blackhole.
11
Am I surprised that Trump got his GUILTY friend out of jail?!
NO, I'm not! Didn't the Republicans just do this same thing for him!!!!!!!
It is time to move these clowns out of government. Now is the time to take to the streets to show Republicans how the majority of Americans feel about the disregard for the law in the Trump White House!!! This is really an outrage to the vast majority of Americans who keep the law.
How these people look in the mirror everyday is beyond me!
November can't come soon enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
11
I now live in a country where patriots are criminals, and criminals are patriots. What’s next?
Shooting Democrats or putting them in jail? I predict that history will be vicious to the spineless 2020 Republican senators, all of whom allowed this lawless debacle to happen? Except Mitt Romney, who spoke the truth. Shame on you Bill Barr. You are an embarrassment to America’s justice system. Trump will not last forever. Both of you will go down as traitors to American values.
23
Wealthy white male Republicans need not follow the law. This elites class is now special and protected in America.
14
Lock Trump and his cronies up. They are the axis of evil.
12
Our Vote shall be our Verdict!
5
Wake up citizens of the USA. Wake up and step up media, including NY Times. This administration is a perfect roadmap for how to kill a fairly healthy experiment in democracy.
Every major media enterprise should be pounding on the doors of every cabinet secretary and their publicly funded press offices. Especially the DOJ. The criminality, malfeasance, obstruction and just plain inept servitude to uphold fealty to this President (unable to indict because of a DOJ rule), must be constantly exposed.
Gary Cohn recently said “the Trump you see in public is the same Trump in private”. He is not fit to work at McDonalds or Walmart, he disparages more than half the citizens of this country on a daily basis. We all know this. Trumps initial administration was staffed with, at best, the B minus team. No honest republican/conservative would agree to denigrate their humanity for this ... fill in the blank description. We now have the D minus team; extra marks for cruelty.
Every single enabler of this President, who works in public office, is disabling our country. A huge acknowledgement to the 4 prosecutors who resigned. Are we a country of laws or not? We’ll see in November if Americans wake up and vote for the democratic nominee en mass.
Btw. I believe Elizabeth Warren has committed to perusing criminal justice for the enablers, if she wins. How about putting that promise on your campaign. Wake up America.
17
Dear Senator Collins,
Do you still believe that Donald Trump has "learned a big lesson"? Would you care to comment on his action today?
We are waiting to hear from you.
A US citizen
27
I wonder if Susan Collins still believes that this most corrupt of Presidents has “learned his lesson”now!
12
I keep waiting for the America I thought I knew to stand up and be patriots. Otherwise Schoolhouse Rock was wrong.
3
The country is currently under attack by Russians...the main weapon is Trump!
18
Stop barr. Stop trump. Stop the destruction of our country. This is deplorable and unacceptable. We need an Elliot Richardson and a William Ruckelhaus to bring integrity back to the Justice Department.
16
anyone missing Jeff Sessions, yet?
6
@Bh , thank you. So many do not realize just how professional Jeff Sessions was and yes, even ethical.
Unlike Bill Barr, who worked with Bush, Sr., to orchestrate the total pardons of all the Iran-Contra criminals; and acts in this way with respect to Stone; and unlike Clinton AG Janet Reno, who, unlike Sessions, refused to follow advice of FBI Director to appoint special counsel to investigate the true scandal of the Clinton years, the foreign influence in our democratic elections via illegal campaign financing from China & arguable quid pro quos involved with same (the Lewinsky nonsense should have remained a private matter between the Clinton family and Ms. Lewinsky).
In direct contrast to Janet Reno (and similar type behavior by Bill Barr), Sessions defied the President and followed the advice of the FBI Director to appoint the special counsel to investigate the allegations of foreign influence in the 2016 elections.
Thanks to Janet Reno's corruption and lackey behavior (just like Barr), the nation will never truly know the extent of the foreign influence exerted by China in the 1996 elections and subsequent decisions made by the Clinton administration to favor China, such as laying the groundwork for their admission to WTO (decimating American industry) and caving to China lobbying to reject Jordan Commission chain migration reform immigration recommendations.
2
Attorney General bar has zero credibility. It’s safe to assume that anything he or his staff says publicly about this situation is a lie.
19
Every day, I feel like the little boy in Han Christian Anderson’s story “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Sorry, DJT. I do pray for you and the future of our country. I don’t like you but I do pray for you.
6
By the time this plays out Trump will have already pardoned Stone.
Vote!
12
This is how things work in a dictatorship. Turns out it can happen here.
15
I salute the prosecutors who quit honorably rather than carry out travesty of justice.
And no, there is no lesson that Trump has learnt from the impeachment trial. He will keep getting progressively worse until he gets kicked out, which cannot be soon enough. Senators who acquitted him need to be held accountable.
17
Keep paying out the rope and this band of reprobates will ultimately hang themselves.
Barr is as much a disgrace to the “justice” system as Trump is to the Oval Office, which will need a thorough cleansing and disinfection once he is removed by the electorate.
7
"Trump also told reporters later in the day that he did not discuss the case with the department." He didn't have to "discuss the case"! His incessant Twitting sent the message he wanted to get across. Do Barr & Co. really expect us to buy the pack of lies they are telling us?
4
I loathe Trump and Roger Stone, but 7-9 years is outrageous in a federal system where convicts must complete 85% of their time before being released. The degree of severity of the crime and his age do not warrant this.
5
"The development immediately prompted questions about whether the Justice Department was bending to White House pressure."
I guess you can't just come out and say the obvious, of course I don't have to worry about lawsuits etc.
1
And it goes on, and on, and on. Glad to know all of the GOP is behind the autocrat they’ve helped create. It’s just a small step to dictatorship now. Unless...
5
It is clearly evident that 49% of our population has suffered because of our poor education system. How else can one understand how it is okay for an entire gop party to stand down
while watching our republic transform from a democracy to a dictatorship in three short years and $3b later. We have a lying maniac ruling his subjects by twitter and expecting 100% obedience, while spending 1/3 of his time on golf courses. Strong argument for term limits and a refresher course on the constitution before your allowed to vote or run for office.
10
Geez, people. Trump (and his minion Barr) had nothing to do with this. We know this because Trump says so. Just like he assured us that he had nothing to do with Stormy Daniels, or with paying her off. You'd have to ask Michael Cohen. Except Trump barely knows Michael Cohen.
10
"To some...."? Yes, to anyone who doesn't work in the White House.
Dear New York Times: will you please stop equivocating, with all this on-the-other-handism and false equivalency? This is a banana republic in the making, and trying to ameliorate the actions of an authoritarian is not helping.
5
We are witnessing the end of democracy. But Article II does allow Trump the right to do anything he want; people wouldn’t believe the power he has. But he would never talk about it.
1
History books will note that despite years of advocating democracy and the rule of law around the world, when it really counted the Republican Party collapsed at the whim of a demagogue within the USA. My fear is that it will be European, Canadian and Australasian history books that record this collapse, and the the USA will itself be censuring any such mention in its own history books, and will no longer be a democracy, not even a flawed one as it is currently rated by the EIU.
8
Good people with conscience are leaving or were forced to leave. What has America, once the reason of the world, has become? It is frightening. seriously.
3
More blatant corruption out of the White House.
Trump is above the law - I thought we all shared a common belief that no was was above the law in the USA, no matter if we are left or right in the political spectrum. If we can not agree on that, the American experiment is over.
3
It will be sweet justice when Trump and his cronies rot in jail while the other inmates have they way with them
Trump said “We are going to defeat the radical, socialist democrats. "
Is it time to say "we are going to defeat the lying, cheating, criminal dictator Trump? "
6
Barr isn’t an Attorney General, he’s a henchman. Investigations into the investigators, passes for Trump supporters... the US is becoming a tinpot dictatorship.
5
Sen. Susan Collins will from this day forward be known as either Madame Chamberlain or Madame Chamber Maid.
8
@DavidJ Ms. Collins, instead of Senator Collins will do.
4
We could take to the streets by the millions and engage in relentless acts of civil disobedience in order to show this renegade thug government who is really in charge in this country.
Or we could sit on the couch exercising our thumbs tweeting and tapping out reader comments.
I expect this comment will get about three recommendations. The once great American people are supine while our democracy is destroyed in broad daylight before our very eyes.
19
@Jay Sadly your words ring true. What will it take for Americans to finally wake up? I fear, only when democracy is lost, therefore too late.
3
@Jay For instance, in the nexus of banana republic meets civil disobedience: if one person throws a banana on the White House lawn, they might be arrested. But if 500,000 shouting, marching, peaceful protesters throw bananas on the White House lawn, well now you’ve got something.
3
We all know right from wrong and the criminality this administration represents. Just remember to get the vote out in Nov against this Republican administration - otherwise shut up. VOTE
5
What has D Trump learned after the Mueller Report and his own Impeachment...nothing! He can tweet to his heart's content making fools of any and all American institutions. We are officially down in the swamp with the biggest swamp creature of all. No checks. No balances. Trump can be president without any fear of retribution, and the Republican party sits on its hands and says NOTHING. I am utterly ashamed of what has happened to our beloved country. We may not survive this.
4
Trump and his ilk have done nothing but obstruct justice in every way possible since he slithered into the White House.
There was a time that would have seen the streets in your country filled with demonstrators protesting the absolute corruption of this crime family. Sadly times have changed.
4
Grucifer2 the Russian military intelligence officer contacted Stone and told him that they had hacked the Democrats e-mails and had put them on a website. Stone told them to send them to Wikileaks. Clearly collusion, could have been the basis for conspiracy.
Trump famously said "I could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not lose any votes". That has now been replaced by "Trump could be caught handing America’s top military secrets to Russia and still not have many Republican votes for impeachment".
Whatever evidence of criminal acts that Mueller or Schiff could have come up with, it is certain that such evidence could not be as powerful an indication of wrongdoing as the evidence in the public record that Bret Kavanaugh was lying in the hearings for his confirmation as a Supreme Court Justice.
Once Ford’s account included three people she said were there AND his calendar had them all at Tim Gaudette’s house on July 1, 1982, AND Ford’s description of the interior of Gaudette’s house in Rockville, MD exactly matches that of the actual house, which still exists: the only way that Kavanaugh was not lying is either: Ford somehow obtained access to his 1982 diary/calendar, or Ford has a time machine or Ford stalked Kavanaugh in 1982 and planned for this if he was nominated to the Supreme Court..."
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4216597
2
This should come as no surprise.... Rich, racist, white men breaking the law with no real repercussions. Rich, racist, white men covering up their crimes and protecting the crimes of other rich, racist, white men. Rich, racist, white men stacking the courts in their favor, intimidating witnesses and paying off judges. Rich, racist, white men being elevated into positions of power even when they have a long history of incompetence. Rich, racist, white men abusing women and neglecting the needs of children. Rich, racist, white men using Christianity to promote slavery, colonialism and racism. This country has a long history of racist men like DJT who've been given every opportunity in life, but still don't feel good about themselves unless they are acquiring more wealth or stripping other of their rights.
8
What is everyone upset about? You know Trump will pardon him and that he won't spend a day in jail. Stop being shocked and outraged and distracted.
Keep your eye on the ball: November.
Is Trump committing another abuse of power? Regardless, I suspect Trump will pardon Stone. I am counting the days until Trump is convicted and sentenced to prison.
2
Shame on the Republicans in the Senate who allowed Trump to continue to wield his mafiaso power, and the enablers of our scariest Attorney General ever, Bill Barr (the J Edgar Hoover of our generation).
4
Ever wonder what an Al Capone presidency would have looked like?
8
The Republican corruption of this country defies belief.
5
We are lost.
4
Good grief, what a banana republic we've become. It's embarrassing to be an American in the era of Trump. And Trump supporters are absolute traitors to this country and everything it used to stand for.
8
"Timothy Shea, the interim head of the United States attorney’s office in Washington"
How many interim heads and acting heads are there now? Is everyone in this administration merely a crisis actor? Now that we know that the president is above the law, why not dismantle the department of justice entirely? He can make proclamations with a bullhorn from whatever golf course he's on. Or maybe even drive around in one of those fire trucks he's so fond of.
Not normal.
12
It is only a matter of time before critics of Trump are physically beaten or disappeared and Trump and his apologists laugh about it. We no longer live in a nation that believes in the rule of law.
15
It was clear all this was coming on the evening of November 8 2016.
12
The judge is the firewall in all this. The recommendations are not binding and she heard all the evidence and the pleadings. There is still a chance that justice will be served. That said, Trump had no ethical business sticking his filthy hands into this, something that he either doesn't understand or just ignores because he can. We ultimately must rely on the American voters to intervene in all of this. A large minority of them are suffering from a mass psychosis in believing in the rectitude and heroism of Trump. Heaven help us all.
5
That's it. Trump's demagoguery increases every day. With Barr as his flunkey, he controls all three branches of Government. Barr serves Trump and not the nation. Officially we have become a Banana Republic.
What happens now?? the only ones who can stop a Trump dictatorship and stand up to him are the public. Are we so apathetic or cowed by this Monster that we don't take to the streets? If not now, when??
7
If anyone needed convincing that the impeachment acquittal was another step in the creation of a dictatorship, here you have it. Sad for a great country.
9
@Rob Many thanks to the GOP senators ( at the exception of senator Romney)
2
Immediate House hearings under oath (including the full DOJ chain, the 4 who resigned and Barr) are essential for public confidence to be re-established and the Truth to be known.
The Rule of Law and our Justice system are not tweet trivia.
Hopefully law professors and former prosecutors will be heard—and the organized Bar and the court system will take action.
13
If Trump can sway the Justice Dept to lessen the sentences for people he likes, what about for people he doesn’t like? Unfairly advocate for a steeper sentence?
21
@Cassie
Excellent point. Everyone should read about what Trump wanted to do to the "Central Park Five", all of whom were imprisoned for years, but eventually released when DNA evidence and a confession by another man proved their innocence:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Park_jogger_case
2
Not only is Trump doing exactly what he wants, he is getting what he wants. While I applaud the idea of people taking moral actions and feeling ethical outrage, each resignation of a principled, government employee brings Trump closer to the puppet government he wants. The combination of people being fired and those quitting is serving to provide him with 'Yes-Men,' who obey his every wish.
7
The three branches of our Government, put in place to provide checks and balances, are gradually being morphed into one, as the Legislative and Judicial branches become subservient to the WH.
The Parliamentary system (especially the one in Britain) rejected by our Founding Fathers, is now in place.
4
The actions of these senior department officials, including Barr, are unethical and likely criminal. They definitely need to be investigated by the House and Senate Judiciary Committees and referred to the Washington DC bar for disciplinary action.
8
I suppose Susan Collins was correct, in a sense. Trump, and his Administration, did learn a lesson - that Trump and his cronies are all above the Law.
13
They wanted to throw the book at Stone, but Trump objected because he doesn't read books.
7
We have only ourselves to blame for this gross abuse of power. The acquittal of the most corrupt President in modern history gave rise to a King. And while we were fighting with each other over this sham trial we failed to recognize that we handed the Republicans and the Democrats almost complete immunity from any wrongdoing. When we allowed the checks and balances prescribed by our founding fathers to be removed, we became their servants. Instead of having a government by the people for the people, we have a government that only works for those in power. This great country of ours will never be the same until we stop fighting with each other and elect men and women with principles.
34
By “we”, you mean Republicans, right?
1
There are no effective, functioning “checks and balances” when millions,
be they a minority or a majority,
choose to BE complacent about, as
well as complicit in, policymaker’s personal unaccountability for
their harmful words, however transmitted, and their done violating done-deeds.
1
Is Susan Collins concerned? Is there a furrowed brow happening?
38
Eventually we are going to convict and punish these people--we officially now have a criminal gang running this country headed by a dictator.
35
Well, Susan Collins? What do you have to say now?
41
Friends of Trump triumph again! Oh, to be connected to The Chosen One! But, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Wait for the courts to find him more or less above the law. It's coming.
14
I'm sure Roger Stone always had a cocky attitude because he knows his buddy Trump would interfere on his behalf and will eventually pardon him. How sickening is this situation?
25
The GOP has procured the Banana Republic they have all been working toward with Mr. Trump. Congratulations. I hope it proves to be everything each of you has hoped and stood for in your careers because it is certainly your legacy.
25
Only last week GOP senators re-confirmed (via kangaroo court presided over by the human potted plant Roberts) for the umpteenth time what has already been known for 3 years:
the USA is now the world's largest banana republic.
35
You must all be kidding. It was the usual trap. Question and re-question them until they saw something that contradicts a previous statement. The government has shammed too many with this tactic
1
If Trump loses the election on Nov 3 2020 he is going to issue a lot of pardons between then and Jan 20 2021 when the new President is inaugurated. He might be fairly quiet pon the pardon front until then ...
9
Pinning one's hopes on an democratic election outcome may prove as futile as pinning one's hopes on the Mueller Report bringing down Trump.
I fear that November 2020 will not be a fair election considering the number of corrupt, complicit players and there is no barrier to how dirty or low Trump will go to win a second term.
25
Make those Prosecutors who were shunned, Commanders of the armed New Frontier of Justice of America. Really, Trump is extremely dangerous now. Bring back those Prosecutors once Trump is out of office to have the honors of jailing him.
4
Is our Republic on shambles?
What's happening?
Vote for a change.
November 3rd.
11
Imagine what crimes we will discover when Trump is out of office.
23
This pressure from the White House and the behavior of JD are assuming the American democratic process would re-elect this liar into the White House later this year. How sad the state of the American democracy is and will be for a while.
6
Is the President’s intervention ‘contempt of court’?
7
No surprise... some of us knew this and much more corruption would be Trump’s modus vivendi.
6
While this is truly horrible, know this to be true: Trump is not a God and he does have many weaknesses which are being exhibited right now. He will go too far even for his supporters and fall dramatically.
7
@Elizabeth. From your lips...
The sad thing is that this sort of banana republic justice has already been occurring frequently with the so-called immigration courts manned by IMPOTUS shills who oversee "trials" that are already foregone conclusions. The "defendants" have a 5 minute or less consolation with their "defense attorneys" who tell them to admit guilt to a misdemeanor thereby giving up the refugee's right for asylum. Sham justice! The fakery of the courts there and in Stone's case means the end of justice and any semblance of democracy.
5
I'm going to disagree with you on the role of the courts. the immigration judges are overwhelmed and quite a few of them have left because they strongly disagreed with this administration's policy.
1
@Terry Garrett I meant to say "consultation" rather than consolation.
@micky Disagree all you want. But why don't you ever try attending the phony hearings for migrants like I have? It's easy to make noise in "nc."
The message here is: Become trump's personal friend and donate as much money as possible to his campaign. This will be considered "insurance" if/when you are indicted for any crime. Remember the Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio?
6
And my tax dollars are being used for this?
10
Even Republicans have abandoned being concerned about their tax dollars with this president. They can’t even vocalize it anymore. What a sad bankrupt political party, the GOP.
3
“longstanding battle with anxiety”
Thanks to stone etal, trump’s minions, I think we are all battling anxiety.
9
One has to wonder what sort of goods Trump has on Barr, who lalways seems to look like a man condemned
6
Hey! Donald Trump is above the law. Why not Roger Stone?
5
This pres is shameless, utterly shameless.
All people of common sense must surge at the polls in November to remove this corrupt administration as well as his corrupt Senate cronies.
Could this be any more blantant??
8
Another lesson from career government employees in what ethics and honor require. Too bad it’s a lesson lost on 52 Republican senators.
15
I'm understanding quite clearly now what precipitates radicalization. People feel powerless. I'm a "middle class", oldish mid-life, well educated women of somewhat modest means. Everything I care about in our country is threatened and I don't know what else to do about it. I protest on the street, I write postcards, I call Senators. I pay attention to the news and listen to the opinions of wise people, I donate and campaign for decent candidates, I took my money out of big banks and joined a credit union. What else?
23
@Pauljk General strike! Shut down every port, airport, rail line, and interstate highway in this country! Bring the plutocrats to their knees!
3
DOJ suggests sentence, does not direct, nor control sentence.
Stone could appeal, of course, probably on the grounds that the length of sentence was excessive, but would have to provide convincing arguments out in the open.
The sentencing judge could impose a harsh sentence and by doing that entice Trump to pardon Stone in an election year.
Trump abused his power once more by speaking about Stone's prosecution and potential sentencing, and that is improper influence, which he has committed before.
Trump will probably pardon Stone, but he would have to do that before Stone reports to prison to avoid the taint of having been incarcerated. Since the prosecutors have left, that leaves AG Barr holding the hot situation, and he may be forced to argue for a more lenient sentence for Stone.
That should be interesting.
3
If this was linked to a conversation with the White House, that the president was interfering in Federal prosecution case for a friend, would that be enough to impeach? Or a reprimand? What are the new boundaries of Presidential misbehavior?
7
Trump is the executive, he is the legislature, and now he is the judicial. And folks are not afraid. What Constitution do you follow?
30
It doesn’t really matter as it is a virtual guarantee that Trump will pardon Stone, And most of the others, the week after the election, no matter who wins
4
Trump now has his own law firm. It used to be called the Dept of Justice.
15
Unfortunately the rule of law in the U.S. during the Trump Presidency has entered a period free-fall. Trump has now declared himself as the American Strongman; and has apparently dared any entity or person to stop him.
It should be completely clear that the Republicans serving in the U.S.Congress, except Senator Romney, has completed capitulated to the will of Trump. He has demonstrated, that the basic safeguards we once believed were in place to prevent the rise of a demagogue are not working as designed. Half the U.S. Congress is now controlled by Trump; and with the help of McConnell is rapidly gaining control of the courts.
Hopefully, the courts will push back on the Trump assault; and Stone will receive the prison sentence he deserves. Meanwhile, we still have the " Bill of Rights" and should use this as the blueprint to ensure that democracy survives beyond the era of Trump.
9
Corrupt, disgusting, anti-American. How low can William Barr and Donald J Trump go.
14
@Chloe Hilton Oh, much lower! They already have prototypes for their gulags. They were multi-tasking with their caging of migrant children.
3
The U.S.A. is dead. Welcome to Trumpland...
11
Senate Republicans held up a lit match and US Rule of law goes down in flames
12
Does anyone want to reconsider the fate of Jeffrey Epstein, given what this DOJ is capable of?
10
I certainly dont need to reconsider. I was already convinced the government killed him to protect themselves.
7
The Banana Republicans strike again.
11
There seems to be a terrorist loose in your country enabling your new dictator to attack your rule of law. The terrorist, Barr, has to be stopped. Hopefully, with the election of a new president in November, he will be sent packing. How much damage are they both going to do before then?
12
It’s looking more & more like the Big T just might get re-elected, so I just might tame those predictions just a bit.
1
The mob boss tells the justice dept what to do - it's how far we've fallen. Had Stone testified honestly, Trump's working with Russia to steal the presidency would've likely resulted in charges by Mueller, who was blocked at every turn from access to information, just like the mockery-of-Trump's-trial. Stone's serious crimes merit this sentence. Everyone knows he'll be pardoned anyway. Trump blowing up the sentencing process is to show he's the only power in all parts of the US govt. Mob boss to mob monarch. The judge should throw the book at Stone.
12
"I used to wish there was a useful term for those of us who thought American power should be used to remove psychopathic dictators." - Christopher Hitchens
"Everything Republicans once claimed to advocate - entitlement reform, free trade, standing up to dictators, encouraging the march of freedom around the world - turns out to be negotiable and reversible, depending on Donald Trump's whims and the furies of his base." - Bret Stephens
7
Our autocrat-in-chief could care less about justice. What he fumes or tweets is granted and count on a pardon in the not-too-distant future, again without consequence, only able and competent players stepping aside will suffer as careers are ended.
2
"Trump needs to learn when to shut up."
You're just a little late with that...
5
Perhaps it’s time to impeach Barr for Obstruction if Justice
11
Better to resign now and feign integrity rather than later when DOJ probes leads to damning indictments for participating in hoaxes, plots and coups to illegally oust a democratically elected POTUS which the US deep state doesn't approve of !
Meanwhile, it’s fine to incarcerate black men for decades for crimes they didn’t commit?
10
All prosecution machinations aside, Judge Jackson has the ball in her court, pun intended. Obviously, since she was appointed by Obama, the Justice Dep't expects that whatever they recommend as sentencing she will probably agree with or exceed. Thus the lowering. But of course, in so doing, Barr confirms he is the lap dog we all thought he was.
6
More info is needed on Timothy Shea...is he yet another amoral, unethical Christian fundamentalist member of the Federalist Society?
6
Roger Stone has paid far more than his fair share here. Enough already.
3
@Senator Blutarski, PhD I assume that this comment is as accurate as your recollection of the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor.
6
Another reason to get this poor excuse for a President out of office. I bet Flynn and Manafort are panting with anticipation to see what good fortune will befall them as Trump and his henchmen continue to exploit and corrupt the system.
7
Welcome to the Banana Republic.
6
Sorry America, you are now a complete joke to so many around the world. Stories like this are just another nail in your coffin. Sad.
18
@CanadianObserver But . . . but . . . but . . . I was told that America would be great again.
2
Can I just say? This is a lawless and evil administration.
17
Why doesn’t the Justice Dept. request leniency for El Chapo as well while they are at it . / let all the criminals out like Fidel once did .
Every convict thinks their conviction was a miscarriage of justice - apparently if your a buddy of Donald Trump - “it is “.
Crony - Corrupt “Capitalism” - at it’s best
LOL..
7
Remember how upset Republicans were when Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch met on the tarmac?
17
Trump is destroying our judicial system and sense of justice by letting his chronically criminal friends go free while he criminalizes, persecutes and prosecutes the innocent and vulnerable.
Meanwhile working poor to modest income Americans will never get relief or a second chance when they are apprehended.
Stand up, vote and take our nation back from the most corrupt Republican led Federal government in the last 100 years.
14
Not gonna happen. Sorry.
@Doug Ballard Well, how about we consider means other than voting? Get ready!
This may come as a surprise to some of you (and apparently a whole bunch on U.S. Attorneys), but Trump is actually the boss of the Justice Department....so....yeah.....
that doesn't mean he is above the law or that he should intervene in internal justice department decisions
3
@Greg So what's your point, Greg? Does this mean that he can tell them to do whatever, and they just have to obey?
2
Hey Greg, guessing you've never heard of the U.S.S.G. They were intended to stop the arbitrariness you appear to favor. So, yeah . . .
1
Justice is dead in America under this president and a Republican party that refuses to acknowledge his corruption.
10
One rule for us, no rule for republicans
9
Does any length of sentence really matter? Won't the fool on the hill pardon his buddy at some point?
1
It won't be long now before Pelosi and H Clinton get arrested on some Trumped up charges, and when convicted, the federal patsies, I mean prosecutors, will throw away the keys.
(Recall Trump's campaign promise to "lock her up!")
By "lighter sentence," Tru...I mean Barr means that someone should drive Stone past a prison so he can wave at the inmates.
Is there NO law sacred to Republicans such that they require obedience mandatory by all??
5
American Justice, once more, has been brought to its knees by our corrupt president, Donald Trump. He rules this nation with an iron fist. He could have pardoned this man regardless of his sentence. However, Trump chose to do it in a typical cocky way, directing the Justice Dept to assign another prosecutor, then telling them what to do, how to do it. The Rule-of-Law during this Administration is nothing more than paper. Meaningless paper. Rubbish.
7
More Evidence BARR and Trump need Prison Time!
8
gee, @nytimes, "a highly unusual intervention", what a classy way to enable malfeasance via euphemism.
7
Trump loves his department of JUST US
8
So the average sentence for a rapist is 9.8 years and people think it is OK to give a similar sentence to someone who lied to Congress. The is no way he should get 9 years for that.
7
No, 9 years for the kind of lying stone did—and the collateral political damage it surely will have—is probably light. For rape, only 9 years is unconscionable; it should be life.
6
@KR
Tampering with witnesses, lying to the judge as well as congress. Seven Felonies. Sorry but we need to put away those who would corrupt our system of government. Crime is not just bad if it is violent.
9
Stone should get 18 years.
5
Not excusing Stone's behavior but as I understand it:
The average rapist gets 4 years or less.
The average armed robber gets 3 years or less.
Here's a guy, who is a goofball and who did wrong when he lied and tried to influence a witness, yet he has no criminal record and is pushing 70 years of age.
He didn't leak, he didn't "collude", he make poor choices and should have been honest, as required by law.
He deserves to be punished for what he did, but people want him to die in jail and that's just hateful and wrong. Further, the judge can expand or shorten the recommendation.
7-9 years in federal prison is overkill. DOJ was correct in recommending still harsh, but less harsh guidelines.
5
Stone belongs in the pokey, junior. He didn’t try to influence a witness, he threatened bodily harm.
8
@Brad ,
He threatened a witness and his little dog too. Even after his arrest he violated the Judges instructions and tried to corrupt the trial. It isn't minor. As with many sentences, it is designed to send a message:. Stop the obstruction.
10
@A P Duncan The supposed "victim" said he's known Stone for many years and said that he did not take the threat seriously. The quote was, "That's just Roger being Roger".
Again, not excusing the behavior, but does it truly warrant perhaps 3 times the incarceration of an armed robber or perhaps more than 2 times the incarceration of a rapist?
1
It's pretty clear that no matter what happens, one way or another Trump is going to issue a Presidential* pardon for convicted felon Stone. After all, Trump has already quashed the sentence of a convicted war criminal, so why would he let his strange buddy Stone sit in the slammer?
3
What does Trump want?
1
@Chuck ,
He wants four more years of stacking the courts and destroying the environment and eliminating every conceivable regulation protecting human lives that might cost big business money.
8
Goodness me, it just gets worse and worse as the days and months go by. Trump is dragging down the USA and trashing the ideals of all those who drew up the constitution and people are cheering him on at his rallies.
What happens when he loses the election and declares it's all fake news and he wont accept the outcome? Who is going to stop him?
Democracy as America knew it is dying the death of a thousand cuts.
17
Trump laments a miscarriage of justice? That's rich...
29
Wake up America and the free press. This is not a TV series or a Movie. This is real. The USA is under its worse threat since April 12, 1861. There is a slow motion coup happening in our country. The question is are we going to stand by and let it happen. Read Martin Niemoller, First they came for. It is what is happening here Now.
29
Whatever the sentence, Trump will pardon Stone.
Only the worst.
5
The Barr could not get much lower.
28
I don’t know how long this country can take this abuse. Death by 1000 cuts.
16
Time to impeach Trump again, make America great again.
22
If he gets out he and the missus can get back to swinging. What lovely people.
6
Somebody PLEASE explain to Attorney General Barr that he is the Attorney for the United States NOT for Trump!
18
@Daniel Messing.
What did the Republican Trump defense team say? "It's ok to do it if gets you reelected because you believe that being reelected is good for the country". He can justify everything he does as good for the country, anything. That is what Republicans' are defending. It's what they have been defending for a very long time.
2
Whenever trump says a judgement is "unfair" to one of his collaborators or potential useful idiots (eg, Chief Gallagher), you know he's looking for his pardon pen or some other tactic which allows him to interfere inappropriately in matters which are really none of his business.
4
Our world is getting scarier by the day. Republicans should hang their heads in shame. The man goes unchecked once again! So the lesson here is if you stand by me you will have no consequences. America wake up and smell the stench, I can barely breathe.
20
Now DJT is telling the Justice Department what to do!
Barr will probably agree.
So much for the democratic process.
Trump learned nothing from impeachment
This corruption of our System must be stopped by the voters!
7
@JB
We won't make it. He is rigging the system right now.
Remember how he claimed the election was "rigged" when he thought he would lose the election he won? Imagine what he will claim in November if he loses. Imagine what he will do when he has the power of the POTUS and the AG behind him? Imagine what the Senate will do if the lose their majority. Scary is an understatement.
5
As a former trial attorney a statement often made y lawyers in discovery was "if it's 'too good to be true", it's generally 'not true'." That sums up "the 'Stone' case!"
1
People this is it. You need to get active now. Since before the 2016 election I and others have been in the streets protesting, working to get out the vote, voting, back in the streets protesting some more, writing letters, making donations, staying up late and getting up early. We need you to join in. Don't let this 244 year experiment in democracy go down because you sat by and let it happen.
11
OK, I get it...trump's admirers like his...I am King and I will do as I please. I speak my mind and attack anyone who is not loyal to me. Pass me another Executive Order pad because I have other Obama regulations to destroy. OK, I get it.
What I don't get is the blanket hatred that trump and his minions seem to have for America and the rule of law.
How can anyone stand by and not condemn the racism that is rapidly growing in the country with no response from the president? How can people turn a blind eye to the destruction of the environment for a lousy couple of dollars? Or see the riches of the national parks and forest handed over to private interests for drilling and mining which destroys it's natural beauty and wonder?
How can people not object to the bald-face lies by these con artists who say they will protect healthcare while at the same time fighting in court to destroy healthcare and 'pre-existing conditions'?
Everyday this administration is taking away the glory of America and replacing it with MAGA hats, hateful rhetoric, and loyalty pledges to a wannabe dictator.
This unfolding pathetic Roger Stone episode is simply another example of how far down this administration is dragging the country.
13
Laws only apply to Democrats.
14
Federal district court judges decide the sentence. They are appointed for life and are independent of both the executive and legislative branches.
1
@Texas music fan ,
In Germany before the war, uncooperative judges were arrested on charges, then shot. Guess that life time appointment has it's limits.
1
Just remember everyone.....Mitch thinks it’s cute to pack the courts but guess what???? The courts no longer matter!
4
And another one gets away with crime! Susan Collins, has Trump and Barr learned their lesson?
9
This is not normal this President needs to be stopped and stopped now
6
I recommend that Adam Schiff be drafted at the convention in light of Barr's attacking the American judiciary. He is the only Democrat who has the guts and brains to beat Trump.
12
@Larry. I wish Schiff was INTERESTED in being the Democratic nominee. He is not.
@Jordan F I really hope he could be persuaded.
Trump has turned even the Justice Department into a giant swamp.
9
How is this blatant interference in the way justice is meted out, by a lawless impeached president, ok? Or, deemed ok by his rogue attorney general, also acting like his personal valet or butler! Americans, are you all watching? What are to do about this?
6