{"id":2307413,"date":"2024-07-24T13:58:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T17:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/no-evidence-trump-influenced-roger-stone-sentencing-doj-watchdog-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-24T14:04:01","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T18:04:01","slug":"no-evidence-trump-influenced-roger-stone-sentencing-doj-watchdog-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/no-evidence-trump-influenced-roger-stone-sentencing-doj-watchdog-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"No evidence Trump influenced Roger Stone sentencing: DOJ watchdog &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fno-evidence-trump-influenced-roger-stone-sentencing-doj-watchdog-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2307413&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The summary is about the findings \u200bof\u2063 a Justice Department\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/navy-surface-fleet-unprepared-to-win-future-conflict-watchdog-finds\/\" title=\"Navy Surface Fleet Unprepared To Win Future Conflict, Watchdog Finds\">watchdog report<\/a> that found \u2063no evidence \u2062that President Donald Trump influenced Attorney\u200c General Bill Barr in \u20622020 to diminish \u2063the sentencing for Roger Stone, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-romney-pretty-certain-trump-would-win-2024-gop-nomination-in-a-landslide\/\" title=\"Sen. Romney \u2018Pretty Certain\u2019 Trump Would Win 2024 GOP Nomination \u2018In A Landslide\u2019\">longtime adviser<\/a>. The report stated that Barr&#8217;s decision to undo prosecutors&#8217; heightened sentencing recommendation for Stone was\u2063 not influenced by\u200b Trump&#8217;s criticism on Twitter. The report also\u2064 mentioned that Barr had the discretion\u200b to \u2063participate \u200din \u2064the sentencing decision, and federal prosecutors initially \u200csought \u200bbetween \u2064seven and\u2063 nine years in prison for Stone. Top-level DOJ personnel overruled this recommendation, leading to the resignation \u200cof the prosecutors involved.\u200d The report highlighted extensive discussions between the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office for the \u200bDistrict of Columbia \u200dand Barr, ultimately resulting in a \u2063sentence below the federal guidelines for Stone. Despite discrepancies \u2064in the process, Barr ultimately approved the recommended sentence aligning with the\u200b guidelines.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">No evidence Trump influenced Roger Stone sentencing: DOJ watchdog<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1712419\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>There is no evidence that then-President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> forced Attorney General <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/william-barr\/\">Bill Barr<\/a> in 2020 to diminish sentencing for longtime adviser Roger Stone, a Justice Department watchdog revealed on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>According to DOJ Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz, there was a significant lack of evidence that Barr&rsquo;s decision to undo prosecutors&rsquo; heightened sentencing recommendation for Stone was influenced by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/368971\/prosecutors-recommend-seven-to-nine-years-in-prison-for-roger-stone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Trump&rsquo;s own criticism<\/a>&nbsp;of their previous stringent recommendation on Twitter, before it became known as X.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Roger Stone walks on the convention floor during the Republican National Convention Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo\/Paul Sancya)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;No law, rule, regulation or&nbsp;DOJ&nbsp;policy, including those related to conflicts or ethics prohibited Barr&rsquo;s participation in the Stone sentencing and, therefore, the decision whether to participate was ultimately a discretionary one left to the judgment of the Attorney General,&rdquo;&nbsp;Horowitz&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/oig.justice.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/reports\/24-081.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>wrote<\/a> in the 85-page report made public Wednesday by the DOJ&rsquo;s Office of Inspector General.<\/p>\n<p>In November 2019, a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., convicted Stone on seven criminal counts, including lying under oath to Congress and obstructing a House investigation into whether Trump&rsquo;s 2016 campaign coordinated with Russia in the 2016 election, an allegation that was fueled by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cjr.org\/special_report\/trumped-up-press-versus-president-part-1.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>salacious dossier<\/a> composed by anti-Trump partisan interests and ultimately debunked.<\/p>\n<p>Federal prosecutors originally sought between seven and nine years in prison for Stone in early 2020, but top-level personnel within the DOJ overruled them and sought less time in a rare filing. The team of four prosecutors who recommended the original sentence resigned after their recommendations were shot down, despite the OIG report finding &ldquo;it was within the Attorney General&rsquo;s discretion to correct what he viewed as an unjust submission.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>According to the report, the U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office for the District of Columbia had been involved in &ldquo;extensive discussions&rdquo; regarding Stone&rsquo;s sentencing. During this period, interim U.S. Attorney Timothy Shea consulted with Barr, and they agreed that a sentence below the federal guidelines would be suitable.<\/p>\n<p>Before Shea reached out to Barr, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-ag-barr-authorizes-federal-prosecutors-to-pursue-substantial-allegations-of-voting-irregularities-before-2020-election-is-certified\/\" title=\"BREAKING: AG Barr Authorizes Federal Prosecutors to Pursue &quot;Substantial Allegations&quot; of Voting Irregularities Before 2020 Election is Certified\">attorney general<\/a> had no involvement in Stone&rsquo;s case. Barr also learned from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>media<\/a> reports that prosecutors had recommended a sentence that was inconsistent with what Shea told him previously in the day, according to the watchdog report.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this discrepancy, Shea later approved the prosecutors&rsquo; memo, which recommended a sentence aligning with the guidelines. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flashback-former-ag-barr-initiated-spying-program-on-americans-back-in-1992\/\" title=\"FLASHBACK: Former AG Barr Initiated Spying Program on Americans Back in 1992\">inspector general<\/a>&rsquo;s investigation revealed that when Barr found out the memo did not reflect his prior discussion with Shea, he &ldquo;immediately&rdquo; insisted it needed to be &ldquo;corrected,&rdquo; which happened hours before Trump&rsquo;s tweet.<\/p>\n<p>The new report is perhaps even more damning for the prosecutors who resigned. One of the four prosecutors, Aaron Zelinsky, had testified before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Congress\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Congress<\/a> that Stone received preferential treatment. The only reason why the IG did not conclude Zelinsky gave false testimony was due to speculative comments made by one of the other four prosecutors.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As a result, we found that [Zelinsky&rsquo;s] belief that he (and the rest of the trial team) had been pressured to revise the memorandum for political reasons was not unreasonable,&rdquo; the report stated.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/subscribe\/digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Stone was ultimately sentenced to three years in prison, but Trump commuted his sentence in 2020 before Stone was told to report to prison. Trump pardoned Stone in December 2020.<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ watchdog interviewed 24 current and former department attorneys throughout the investigation, including Shea and Zelinsky. Barr declined to participate in the interview process.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1712419\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1712419\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The summary is about the findings \u200bof\u2063 a Justice Department\u2064 watchdog report that found \u2063no evidence \u2062that President Donald Trump influenced Attorney\u200c General Bill Barr in \u20622020 to diminish \u2063the sentencing for Roger Stone, a longtime adviser. The report stated that Barr&#8217;s decision to undo prosecutors&#8217; heightened sentencing recommendation for Stone was\u2063 not influenced by\u200b &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2307414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/roger-stone-verdict-1024x591.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[7076,36022,12447,3634,6056],"class_list":["post-2307413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-doj","tag-roger-stone","tag-sentencing","tag-trump","tag-watchdog"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/roger-stone-verdict-1024x591.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2307413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2307413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2307413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2307414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2307413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2307413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2307413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}