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.
-
Trump wants to revive coal. Will it work?
Talking Points Wind, solar and natural gas are ascendant
-
Is the first AI ‘actor’ the beginning of Hollywood’s existential crisis?
Today's Big Question 'Tilly Norwood' sparks a backlash
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland
-
Trump declares new tariffs on drugs, trucks, furniture
Speed Read He's putting tariffs of 25% on semi trucks, 30% on upholstered furniture, 50% on kitchen and bathroom cabinetry and 100% on certain drugs
-
Amazon reaches ‘historic’ $2.5B Prime settlement
speed read The company allegedly tricked customers into signing up for Prime membership that was then difficult to cancel
-
Trump DOJ indicts Comey, longtime Trump target
Speed Read The president is using the Justice Department to prosecute his political enemies