But remember; Bill Clinton once talked to Loretta Lynch on the tarmac at an airport.
Roger Stone Prosecutor Details ‘Political Influence’ Behind Sentencing Fiasco
"A career Justice Department attorney who led the prosecution of Roger Stone says he was “explicitly” told that actions were being taken in Stone’s case out of fear of President Trump.
Aaron Zelinsky, an assistant U.S. attorney who also served on special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, made the claim in written testimony posted Tuesday, ahead of his appearance before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday."
Zelinsky’s written testimony focuses on the DOJ’s move to water down the original sentencing recommendation that he and other career prosecutors submitted in the case. Zelensky ultimately withdrew from the case “over the political influence in the case.”
Zelinksy says that he was told that there was “pressure from the highest levels of the Department of Justice to cut Stone a break,” according to the written remarks.
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At first, when the line prosecutors on Feb. 5 first sent their supervisors their initial draft of the sentencing memo — which recommended Stone serve seven to nine years — their supervisor praised it and said that Stone “deserve[d] every day” they were recommending, according to the testimony.
Two days later, according to Zelinsky, the prosecution team came under pressure from the leadership in the U.S. Attorney’s office — which at the time was led by Timothy Shea, a Barr ally — to change the memo so that a lower sentencing guideline range would be presented to the judge.
Zelinsky’s team objected to these requests because they were “inappropriate” under DOJ policy and “unwarranted” in Stone’s case, Zelinsky says.
“In response, we were told by a supervisor that the U.S. Attorney had political reasons for his instructions, which our supervisor agreed was unethical and wrong,” Zelinksy says. “However, we were instructed that we should go along with the U.S. Attorney’s 10 instructions, because this case was ‘not the hill worth dying on’ and that we could ‘lose our jobs’ if we did not toe the line.”
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/zelinsky-opening-remarks
Roger Stone Prosecutor Details ‘Political Influence’ Behind Sentencing Fiasco
"A career Justice Department attorney who led the prosecution of Roger Stone says he was “explicitly” told that actions were being taken in Stone’s case out of fear of President Trump.
Aaron Zelinsky, an assistant U.S. attorney who also served on special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, made the claim in written testimony posted Tuesday, ahead of his appearance before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday."
Zelinsky’s written testimony focuses on the DOJ’s move to water down the original sentencing recommendation that he and other career prosecutors submitted in the case. Zelensky ultimately withdrew from the case “over the political influence in the case.”
Zelinksy says that he was told that there was “pressure from the highest levels of the Department of Justice to cut Stone a break,” according to the written remarks.
********
At first, when the line prosecutors on Feb. 5 first sent their supervisors their initial draft of the sentencing memo — which recommended Stone serve seven to nine years — their supervisor praised it and said that Stone “deserve[d] every day” they were recommending, according to the testimony.
Two days later, according to Zelinsky, the prosecution team came under pressure from the leadership in the U.S. Attorney’s office — which at the time was led by Timothy Shea, a Barr ally — to change the memo so that a lower sentencing guideline range would be presented to the judge.
Zelinsky’s team objected to these requests because they were “inappropriate” under DOJ policy and “unwarranted” in Stone’s case, Zelinsky says.
“In response, we were told by a supervisor that the U.S. Attorney had political reasons for his instructions, which our supervisor agreed was unethical and wrong,” Zelinksy says. “However, we were instructed that we should go along with the U.S. Attorney’s 10 instructions, because this case was ‘not the hill worth dying on’ and that we could ‘lose our jobs’ if we did not toe the line.”
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/zelinsky-opening-remarks
