Barr to Trump: Your tweets 'make it impossible for me to do my job'
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Attorney General William Barr is saying what everyone is thinking.
In an interview with ABC News on Thursday, Barr shared his frustrations with President Trump's recent tweets that seemingly led Barr to upend federal prosecutors' sentencing decision in Roger Stone's criminal case. Trump "has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case" Barr said, but added "I think it's time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases" because those tweets "make it impossible for me to do my job."
Barr also acknowledged allegations that he's under Trump's total control, saying "I'm not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody ... whether it's Congress, a newspaper editorial board, or the president." Trump's "background commentary," Barr said, make it appear that's not true.
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After federal prosecutors recommended up to a nine year prison sentence for Trump's longtime friend Stone, Trump tweeted his displeasure with the suggestion. The DOJ subsequently softened its recommendation for Stone's prison time, and the four prosecutors in the case stepped down from it. Trump has since attacked the lead juror and the judge in Stone's case as well.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
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