Pelosi calls for investigation into Roger Stone sentencing recommendation

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) in a tweet Tuesday night accused President Trump of engaging in “political interference in the sentencing of Roger Stone” and called for an investigation into the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Pelosi also commended the four prosecutors who quit Stone’s case Tuesday after the DOJ asked for a lighter sentence than what they had recommended.  

“By tweet @realDonaldTrump engaged in political interference in the sentencing of Roger Stone,” she wrote. “It is outrageous that DOJ has deeply damaged the rule of law by withdrawing its recommendation. Stepping down of prosecutors should be commended & actions of DOJ should be investigated.”

By tweet @realDonaldTrump engaged in political interference in the sentencing of Roger Stone. It is outrageous that DOJ has deeply damaged the rule of law by withdrawing its recommendation. Stepping down of prosecutors should be commended & actions of DOJ should be investigated.

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) February 12, 2020

Pelosi was originally referring to Trump quoting reporters’ tweets calling it “very unfair,” a “miscarriage of justice” and a “ridiculous 9 year sentence recommendation.”

However, less than 10 minutes after Pelosi’s tweet was sent, Trump sent a tweet attacking the prosecutors. 

Trump tweeted, “Who are the four prosecutors (Mueller people?) who cut and ran after being exposed for recommending a ridiculous 9 year prison sentence to a man that got caught up in an investigation that was illegal, the Mueller Scam, and shouldn’t ever even have started? 13 Angry Democrats?”

Who are the four prosecutors (Mueller people?) who cut and ran after being exposed for recommending a ridiculous 9 year prison sentence to a man that got caught up in an investigation that was illegal, the Mueller Scam, and shouldn’t ever even have started? 13 Angry Democrats?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2020

Stone was convicted in November of seven counts of obstructing and lying to Congress and witness tampering related to his efforts to provide the Trump campaign inside information about WikiLeaks in 2016. Prosecutors recommended seven to nine years in prison as punishment. 

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, denounced the DOJ’s decision, adding that  the committee will “get to the bottom of this.”

It appears that the President and the Attorney General have overruled career prosecutors in order to help Roger Stone, who lied under oath on the President’s behalf. 1/2 https://t.co/ryQmhbNB1i

— (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) February 11, 2020

The move from the administration comes less than a week after Trump was acquitted by the Senate on impeachment charges. Since then, the administration has dismissed former national security adviser Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, both of whom testified before the House Intelligence Committee’s impeachment hearings.