Donald Trump under fire for comments on Roger Stone sentencing

Donald Trump faces abuse of power accusations after the Justice Department moved to override its own prosecutors seeking a stiff sentence for Roger Stone.

Donald Trump thinks Roger Stone is being hard done by. Picture: AP

Donald Trump faces fresh accusations of abuse of power after the Justice Department moved to override its own prosecutors seeking a stiff sentence for Republican political ­operative Roger Stone.

In new turmoil for the administration, the four prosecutors who tried the Stone case resigned as the Justice Department suggested a new sentence of less than half of what was originally recommended.

The proposed reduction appeared to be a response to Mr Trump’s late-night tweet attacking the recommended sentence of seven to nine years.

Stone, who was convicted in November of lying to congress and witness tampering, is a longtime Trump cohort.

“This is a horrible and very unfair situation. The real crimes were on the other side, as nothing happens to them. Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!” the US President tweeted.

Mr Trump later denied speaking to the Justice Department about the case, while again condemning the sentence proposal.

“I thought the recommendation was ridiculous,” he told ­reporters. Senior Democrat Adam Schiff said that Mr Trump’s apparent interference threatened the rule of law.

“It would be a blatant abuse of power if President Trump has in fact intervened to reverse the recommendations of career prosecutors at the Department of Justice,” said Mr Schiff, who led the impeachment investigation of Mr Trump.

“Doing so would send an unmistakable message that President Trump will protect those who lie to congress to cover up his own misconduct, and that the ­Attorney-General will join him in that effort.”

Stone, who has advised Mr Trump on politics for decades and consulted on his successful 2016 presidential campaign, was ­arrested in January 2019 on charges brought by then-special counsel Robert Mueller as part of the Russia meddling investigation.

He was charged in connection with his 2017 testimony to the house intelligence committee ­investigating Kremlin efforts to damage Mr Trump’s election rival Hillary Clinton.

Stone was accused of lying about acting as an intermediary between the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks, which released hacked documents that embarrassed Mrs Clinton during the campaign.

Stone’s conviction on all seven counts in November made him the sixth person tied to Mr Trump to be convicted on charges brought by Mr Mueller.

Prosecutors on Monday called for a sentence of 87 to 108 months, saying Stone threatened a witness in the case and implicitly threatened the judge by posting a picture of her on Instagram with what ­appeared to be a gunsight’s crosshairs.

He also repeatedly lied to the court and disobeyed a gag order, prosecutors said.

In the wake of Mr Trump’s late-night tweet, an unnamed senior Justice Department official criticised the sentence.

“The department finds the recommendation extreme and excessive and disproportionate to Stone’s offences,” the official said.

Later, a new court filing from prosecutors suggested 37 to 46 months might be more appropriate, calling it “more in line with the typical sentences imposed in ­obstruction cases”.

The resignation of the four government lawyers from the case because of the extraordinary inter­vention sparked fresh turmoil in the Justice Department, already under pressure amid accusations that Attorney-General Bill Barr has been too willing to protect Mr Trump and do his bidding.

Two of the prosecutors served on the Mueller team and stayed with the Stone case after the investigation wound up nearly a year ago.

Mr Trump had labelled that ­investigation, which generated ­charges against 34 individuals but none on the President, a politicised “witch-hunt”.

“These are the same Mueller people that put everybody through hell. I think it’s a disgrace,” Mr Trump said on Wednesday AEDT.

AFP