Trumpland

Justice Dept. Watchdog Looking Into Abrupt Change in Roger Stone Sentencing Recommendation, Says Report

NOT DONE YET

All four prosecutors handling Trump pal’s court case withdrew in February after the Department of Justice headquarters stepped in.

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Reuters/Joe Skipper

The Roger Stone saga may not be over quite yet. The Justice Department’s internal watchdog has reportedly launched an investigation to find out how it came to be that the sentencing recommendation for President Trump’s longtime ally was abruptly shortened earlier this year. All four prosecutors handling Stone’s court case withdrew in February after top Department of Justice officials stepped in to override their recommended prison sentence and push for a shorter term. In July, Trump commuted Stone’s short sentence. Now, the Justice Department inspector general’s office has begun investigating the events of February, according to NBC News. The probe was reportedly launched after of the prosecutors who quit the case, Aaron Zelinsky, testified before Congress in June that there was “heavy pressure from the highest levels of the Department of Justice to cut Stone a break.”

Read it at NBC News

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