Officials in the Justice Department try to reassure each other amid political pressure from Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr.
The Trump-Barr mission includes the limiting of sentences for senior Trump campaign advisors Roger Stone and Michael Flynn, and investigations of the FBI and US intelligence agencies for daring to examine links between the campaign and Russian officials in the 2016 election.
On Tuesday, as Trump proclaimed that Stone was a victim of a “miscarriage of justice”, Barr ordered senior staff to overrule prosecutors’ recommendation of a sentence of 7 to 9 years. Stone was convicted in November on seven counts, including lying to investigators and threatening a witness.
Barr has also formed an outside team to review cases for possible intervention, including the conviction of former National Security Advisor Flynn for lying to the FBI.
TrumpWatch, Day 1,121: Barr Intervenes in Another Trump-Russia Sentencing
As all four prosecutors withdrew from the Stone case — one resigning altogether from the Department — Nicola Hanna, the US attorney in Los Angeles, e-mailed staff of her pride in their work.
Other US attorneys in the Department’s 93 field offices sent similar messages. One wrote, “All I have to say is keep doing the right things for the right reasons.”
Current and former officials are speaking of Barr’s protection of Trump ever since the Attorney General was appointed in January 2019, in part to bury the Trump-Russia investigation. He falsely represented the Mueller Report, which documented Trump-Russia links and set out evidence of Trump’s obstruction of justice, as a finding of “no collusion”, and changed the narrative by ordering the investigation of the FBI.
Barr is also seeking to cover up Trump’s demands on Ukraine for investigations to tarnish political rivals and to obscure Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. The Attorney General said this month that he has started an “intake process” to receive claims from Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani, who led the 10-month campaign of disinformation and pressure on Kyiv.
Stemming Revolt
Trying to stem a revolt in the Department and facing criticism from legislators over the Stone case, Barr told ABC News that Trump’s tweets were making it impossible for him to do his job.
Some lawyers expressed relief, with reactions like “Thank God” and “Barr was EXACTLY right”. One said, “I was beginning to be really upset over the sentencing, but I really admire that he told Trump to shut up.”
However, others noted that Barr was just covering his position, signalling to the White House to be more discreet in interventions.
Barr told ABC, “I hope there are no more resignations. We, we like our prosecutors and hope they stay.”
Timothy Shea, who carried out Barr’s instructions for the revised filing in the Stone case, e-mailed staff, “While there are times where reasonable minds may disagree, I respect the work that each of you do, and I will do my best to support our work.”
But officials noted that Shea, a long-time aide of Barr, was brought in to head the Washington office after US Attorney Jessie Liu was pushed out.
Liu, a Trump appointee, was admired for protection of prosecutors from political meddling. But she risked Trump’s retribution after she decided that there was insufficient evidence to indict former Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, whom Trump has pursued for two years for supposed involvement in a “deep state coup”.
Liu was tapped for a top job in the Treasury Department, but as she waited for confirmation, Trump rescinded the nomination this week.
