ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP
"I have a problem with some of the Tweeters. " Anxious to calm the violent controversy which shakes Washington, the American Minister for justice, William Barr, swore, Thursday, February 13, that he received no order from anyone but deplored that the Tweet of Donald Trump do his job " impossible ".
On the defensive since the downward revision of sentencing recommendations against Roger Stone, a friend of the president, Mr. Barr, who is regularly praised by the White House tenant, tried in an interview granted to the ABC chain to take control:
"I am pleased that the President has never asked me to intervene in any way in a criminal case. "
"I think it is time to stop tweeting about the cases for which the Ministry of Justice is responsible", he said, assuring that certain positions of the republican billionaire on the social network complicated his mission.
"The president not bothered by these comments"
Mr. Barr's comments on @realDonaldTrump's Tweet have surprised him since he has multiplied, since his appointment, the positions interpreted as favorable to the president. Quickly, the White House insisted that there was no disagreement between the two men. "The president was not bothered at all by these comments and has the right, like any other American citizen, to publicly share his opinions", reacted Stephanie Grisham, spokesperson for the White House. Mr. Trump "Uses social media extremely effectively to fight for Americans against injustices in our country"she added, adding that he fully trusted William Barr for "Do your job and uphold the law".
Roger Stone, who advised Donald Trump before and during his campaign, was convicted in November of lying to Congress and subjugating witnesses as part of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 American election. four prosecutors responsible for the case initially required between 7 and 9 years in prison against him, but the ministry tried them by asking for a sentence "Much less" on behalf of "Interests of justice". In the meantime, without it being possible to establish a causal link with certainty, Donald Trump had denounced in a tweet a "Very unfair situation" and an " miscarriage of justice ".
Aaron Zelinsky, Jonathan Kravis, Adam Jed and Michael Marando, the four prosecutors who had requested the initial sentences, have since served to withdraw from the Stone case in a motion sent to the judge.
The opposition immediately denounced political interference in this judicial file and even raised the possibility of " abuse of power ". The head of the Democrats in Congress, Nancy Pelosi, has denounced a decision "Scandalous" of the Trump administration who "Affects the rule of law".
The justice ministry said its decision was made before Donald Trump's tweet. Roger Stone's sentence is to be announced on February 20 by a federal judge.
