Former prosecutor: Roger Stone got off easy because U.S. attorney was 'afraid of the president'

In prepared congressional testimony to be delivered Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Zelinsky said he "repeatedly heard" President Trump's longtime adviser Roger Stone received "unprecedentedly favorable treatment" while he was prosecuted for lying to Congress.

Zelinsky, one of four federal prosecutors who withdrew from the case, will also testify that then-acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Timothy Shea complied with pressure from the "highest levels of the Department of Justice to cut Stone a break," adding that he was "explicitly told" Shea was "afraid of the president," which eventually resulted in reducing Stone's sentencing recommendation.

Zelinsky will appear Wednesday alongside antitrust prosecutor John Elias, who reportedly plans to testify that Attorney General William Barr ordered the Justice Department's Antitrust Division to launch politically motivated reviews of 10 cannabis mergers. Read Zelinsky's full prepared testimony here.

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