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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
The week’s best photos
In Pictures A palace on fire, a shopping cart protest, and more
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is horse-racing going on strike?
Podcast Plus, will the South Korean women who worked in state-run brothels set up for US soldiers succeed? And what’s behind a surge in leg-lengthening surgery?
-
Sudoku medium: September 12, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants