A Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutor who asked a judge to sentence Roger Stone to between seven to nine years in prison has withdrawn from the former Trump aide’s case after reports that officials would seek to reduce the sentencing recommendation.
The withdrawal by prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky on Tuesday came after the initial sentencing guidance was sharply criticized by President Trump, raising questions about potential political interference in the sentencing of Stone. Stone was found guilty of lying to Congress and witness tampering.
It’s unclear if Zelinsky’s move was done on his own volition. Zelinsky did not reply to a request for comment.
The move by the DOJ was seen as a sharp rebuke to career prosecutors.
Earlier Tuesday, multiple outlets reported that DOJ officials would seek to change the sentencing recommendations because top officials found it to be “excessive.”
Those reports came after President Trump blasted the initial guidelines on Twitter Tuesday morning, saying that Stone had been treated unfairly.
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#BREAKING: Justice Dept prosecutor withdraws from Roger Stone case https://t.co/uGhxzUut1x pic.twitter.com/6xMd1IIJus
— The Hill (@thehill) February 11, 2020— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) February 11, 2020
Stone & Flynn will both get pardons. https://t.co/u27ry4J1Uy
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) February 11, 2020
No, everything is fine.
Don’t worry, it’s just the Department of Justice is being run as the Trump family law firm.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) February 11, 2020
BREAKING: Two prosecutors exit Roger Stone case after DOJ shifts to lighter sentence https://t.co/ni1YciZBjT
— POLITICO (@politico) February 11, 2020
The Justice Department’s retreat from a recommendation for a lengthy prison term for President Donald Trump’s longtime adviser Roger Stone appears to have triggered one federal prosecutor to exit the case and another to quit the government altogether.Jonathan Kravis, the deputy chief of the fraud and public corruption section in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, said in a court filing Tuesday that he has resigned his post. The move came a short time after a former prosecutor for special counsel Robert Mueller, Aaron Zelinsky, notified the court that he was leaving his special assignment on the Stone case.
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Prosecutors Marando, Kravis, Jed and Zelinsky have now all withdrawn from the Stone case. Kravis resigned from DOJ altogether. https://t.co/60ADSPygv7
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) February 11, 2020
The withdrawals and resignations of the four prosecutors in the Stone case are a sign that there are still men and women of integrity in our government.
William Barr is the most corrupt Attorney General in American history by an order of magnitude.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) February 11, 2020
I'm so old, I remember when Bill Clinton having a conversation on a tarmac with his friend Loretta Lynch was a wall-to-wall story on Fox attesting to the corrupt politicization of the Justice Department. https://t.co/Fog4dpXJRX
— Seth Cotlar (@SethCotlar) February 11, 2020
ALL 4 Federal Prosecutors Quit Roger Stone case
1- Jonathan Kravis : Resigns
2- Aaron S.J. Zelinsky : Resigns
3- Michael Marando : Withdraws
4- Adam Jed : Withdraws https://t.co/9Kr2asB9IC— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) February 11, 2020
The Department of Justice’s reputation for doing the right thing, already eroded by the abuses that have piled up since Barr became attorney general, is on life support.
That is among the most odious achievements of the Trump presidency.
— Laura Walker ⚖🍸🇺🇸 🏴 (@LauraWalkerKC) February 12, 2020
What if this one time, instead of "raising questions," it's providing answers? https://t.co/3pyuNAL9Fc
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) February 11, 2020
I know Adam. It is difficult for me to think of a more upright, honest, and faithful public servant. His withdrawal is a powerful signal of institutional rot within the Justice Department. https://t.co/GxhvzapmCl
— Nicholas Bagley (@nicholas_bagley) February 11, 2020
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