Two career attorneys at the Justice Department offered blistering criticisms of the agency's leadership during testimonies in Congress.
WASHINGTON – Still reeling from a highly public clash that led to the firing of one of its most prominent prosecutors, the Justice Department again finds itself under a glaring spotlight as two of its employees told Congress Wednesday that the agency's leadership abused its power at the behest of President Donald Trump.
'Unprecedentedly favorable treatment': DOJ gave Roger Stone favorable treatment because he is an ally of the president, prosecutor says Former Attorney General Mike Mukasey, who also testified Wednesday, defended Attorney General William Barr, calling him an"experienced and even-handed" leader. In the fraught prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, a retired federal judge accused the Justice Department of abusing its prosecutorial power by providing special treatment to an ally of the president. The department has sought to dismiss the case against Flynn, who pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI.
Zelinsky and the three other career attorneys who prosecuted Stone quit from the case in protest. The prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of seven to nine years for Stone, whom a jury had convicted of seven crimes, including lying to Congress to protect Trump and his campaign. But the Justice Department backed away from that recommendation – an unusual move that comes after Trump's public criticism of the sentence.
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