DOJ lawyers resign en masse over Roger Stone sentencing | TheHill

The entire prosecutorial team on Roger StoneRoger Jason StonePelosi calls for investigation into Roger Stone sentencing recommendation Trump swipes at resigned prosecutors, judge in Roger Stone case Harris demands Barr testify over Roger Stone sentence recommendation MORE’s case resigned Tuesday after the Department of Justice (DOJ) asked a federal court to reduce the seven- to nine-year prison sentence the lawyers had initially recommended, sparking new questions about potential White House interference at the agency.The department told a federal judge that its earlier recommendation “does not accurately reflect the Department of Justice’s position” and asked the judge to impose a sentence that was “far less.”“The government respectfully submits that a sentence of incarceration far less than 87 to 108 months’ imprisonment would be reasonable under the circumstances,” the DOJ wrote.The stunning reversal came less than 24 hours after career DOJ prosecutors said the longtime adviser to President TrumpDonald John TrumpWinners and losers from the New Hampshire primary Sanders on NH victory: Win is 'beginning of the end for Donald Trump' Biden, Warren on ropes after delegate shutout MORE deserved a lengthy prison term. “And when his crimes were revealed by the indictment in this case, he displayed contempt for this Court and the rule of law.”The prosecutors wrote that a sentence of up to nine years would “accurately reflect the seriousness of his crimes and promote respect for the law.”Stone’s attorneys in a Monday night filing asked that the judge impose probation as an alternative to prison.In its new filing Tuesday, DOJ said Stone’s crimes do warrant a prison sentence, but that the seven to nine years recommended a day before “would not be appropriate or serve the interests of justice in this case.”The DOJ’s shifting position raised new questions about whether political interference played a role, and renewed concerns about the nature of Attorney General William BarrWilliam Pelham BarrTrump swipes at resigned prosecutors, judge in Roger Stone case Harris demands Barr testify over Roger Stone sentence recommendation Democrats call for Graham to launch Senate probe into Roger Stone sentence recommendation MORE’s relationship with the Trump White House.Some reports on Tuesday quoted anonymous department officials who said the decision to seek a lesser sentence happened prior to Trump’s tweets.