Barr: Trump tweets on cases make it ‘impossible’ to do job

Attorney General William Barr took a public swipe at President Donald Trump on Thursday, saying that president’s tweets about Justice Department prosecutors and cases “make it impossible for me to do my job.”

Barr me comment during an interview with ABC News just days after his Justice Department overruled its own prosecutors — who h recommended in a court filing that Trump’s longtime ally and confidant Roger Stone be sentenced to 7 to 9 years in prison — and took extraordinary step of lowering amount of prison time it would seek. department didn’t offer an amended number.

Barr himself has been under fire for Justice Department action, and Thursday’s comment served as a defense of his own integrity.

department insisted decision to undo sentencing recommendation was me Monday night — before Trump blasted recommendation on Twitter as “very horrible and unfair”— and prosecutors h not spoken to White House about it. about-face prompted four attorneys who prosecuted Stone to quit case. One left Justice Department altoger.

“I’m happy to say that, in fact, president has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case,” Barr said in interview. “However, to have public statements and tweets me about department, about our people in department, our men and women here, about cases pending in department, and about judges before whom we have cases, make it impossible for me to do my job and to assure courts and prosecutors in department that we’re doing our work with integrity.”

Stone was convicted in November of tampering with a witness and obstructing House investigation into wher Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to tip 2016 election. He’s scheduled to be sentenced next week.

Barr said he was “of course” prepared to deal with any ramifications from president for his comments.

“As I said during my confirmation, I came in to serve as attorney general. I am responsible for everything that happens in department, but thing I have most responsibility for are issues that are brought to me for decision,” Barr said in interview.

It is extremely rare for Justice Department leers to reverse decision of prosecutors on a sentencing recommendation, particularly after that recommendation has been submitted to court. actual sentencing is up to judge.

“What y did to Roger Stone was a disgrace,” Trump said Thursday during an interview with Geraldo Rivera on Newsrio WTAM1100.

“I don’t think y quit case. I think y felt y got caught,” president said of Stone prosecutors. “I don’t think y quit for moral reasons. I think y got caught in act by me.”

“Now what am I going to do, sit back and let a man go to jail maybe for nine years when murderers aren’t going to jail. You have some of most serious horrible rapists and everything else. y don’t go to jail for nine years,” Trump said.

Democrats decried Justice Department’s reversal and called for immediate investigations. Senate Minority Leer Chuck Schumer called for Justice Department’s inspector general to step in and open an investigation. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Barr h “stooped to such levels” and that “ American people deserve better.”

“What a s disappointment to our country,” she said.

Barr has been a stey ally of president’s since he returned to top post at Justice Department last year. He cleared president of obstruction of justice even when special counsel Robert Mueller h pointedly declined to do so, and has declared that FBI’s Russia investigation, which resulted in charges against Stone, h been based on a “bogus narrative.”

Image Source: AP