Donald Trump insists he can intervene in criminal cases
Barr had said that Trump’s tweets made his job difficult
by AFPPresident Donald Trump dismissed rare criticism from his Attorney General Friday, tweeting that he has the “legal right” to intervene in criminal cases whenever he likes.
The Republican businessman has been accused by opponents in Congress of trying to strip away the Justice Department’s independence to benefit himself and his allies.
He denies this but on Thursday he came under fire from his own Attorney General William Barr, who complained that Mr. Trump’s frequent tweeting about ongoing criminal cases meant “I cannot do my job.” Mr. Barr told ABC News television that “it’s time to stop the tweeting.”
Mr. Trump’s said in a tweet on Friday, “This doesn’t mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!”
Mr. Barr’s unusual outburst followed controversy over former Mr. Trump adviser Roger Stone, who has been convicted of witness tampering and lying to Congress.
When prosecutors recommended a sentence of seven to nine years, Mr. Trump tweeted that this was a “miscarriage of justice.”
Shortly after, in a move that shocked many, the Justice Department announced it was seeking a less severe sentence. Four prosecutors quit the case in protest.
Mr. Barr, who has been frequently accused of being too cozy with the president, told ABC that Trump “has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.”