During a radio interview in November 2017 Donald Trump talked openly about his frustration with the fact that “because I’m the president of the United States, I am not supposed to be involved with the justice department … I’m not supposed to be doing the kind of things that I would love to be doing.”
The Department of Justice’s sudden about-face in the Roger Stone case is just the latest indication that Trump no longer will put up with that particular frustration and will, when it suits him, weaponize that department.
On Monday, federal prosecutors filed a sentencing memo recommending that Stone serve a jail term of seven to nine years after having been found guilty last year of crimes including obstruction of justice, lying to Congress and witness tampering. That recommendation hewed closely to the federal sentencing guidelines. Continue reading.