WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th February, 2020) US Congress must conduct oversight after Attorney General William Barr intervened in the trial of former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone following a sentencing President Donald Trump found as too harsh, Senator Kamala Harris said in a statement on Wednesday.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump praised Barr for "taking charge" of the trial after the Department of Justice intervened to recommend a lighter prison sentence in the case.
"Trump is applauding his Attorney General for intervening in his former advisor's sentencing," Harris said via Twitter. "We cannot accept this. The Senate Judiciary Committee must call Barr to testify immediately. Doing nothing would completely betray our duty to hold the president accountable."
Barr's Justice Department on Tuesday overruled the trial prosecutors and requested a lighter sentence for Stone instead of the 7-9 year prison term recommended in Federal guidelines. The intervention prompted all four prosecutors on the case to resign.
US Senator Ben Cardin in a separate statement said Trump's interference in the trial to aid his former associate is an abuse of power and threatens the independence of the Justice Department. US Senator Bob Casey added that this is what "unchecked power looks like."
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's two-year Russia probe resulted in Stone's conviction in November of obstructing Congress and witness tampering. Stone's lawyer has asked for probation with no jail time. His sentencing is scheduled on February 20.
