Barr Denies Trump Told Him to Intervene in Stone Case but Claims His Tweets ‘Make It Impossible for Me to Do My Job’

Attorney general William Barr distanced himself from President Trump’s tweeting about the Roger Stone case in a Thursday interview, denying that Trump told him to get involved in the case but telling ABC News that “I think it’s time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases.” Barr added that the president “had never asked me to do anything in a criminal case,” and asserted his independence over allegations that Trump had ordered him to force the prosecutorial team off the case after suggesting a seven-to-nine year prison sentence for Stone — a longtime friend of the president. All four Justice Department prosecutors withdrew from the case on Tuesday, with the DOJ submitting a new sentencing recommendation that asked for “far less” jail time than what was initially recommended for Stone. 3 “I’m not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody,” Barr said Thursday. “And I said, whether it’s Congress, newspaper editorial board, or the president, I’m going to do what I think is right. I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.”...MORE