Before the Justice Department intervened in the sentencing recommendation for Trump ally Roger Stone on Tuesday, senior officials also reportedly stepped in last month to change former national security adviser Michael Flynn's sentencing recommendation. According to NBC News, senior officials at the department pressured prosecutors to tell the court probation was a “reasonable” punishment for Flynn after he withdrew his guilty plea for lying to the FBI on Jan. 7. Prosecutors initially recommended no jail time for Flynn because he was cooperating in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, but then suggested a sentence with possible prison time when Flynn changed his plea.
The DOJ also reportedly pushed Jessie Liu, the former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, out of her role. While U.S. Attorney, Liu oversaw a criminal probe into ex-FBI head Andrew McCabe—who drew the ire of President Trump—and the prosecutions of Trump allies like Stone, Flynn, and Paul Manafort. Charges were never filed against McCabe. Liu was nominated for a job as an undersecretary at the Treasury Department but on Tuesday, Trump reportedly withdrew her nomination for the Treasury Secretary role.
Read it at NBC News
