[U] Since When... Has It Been Okay For A President To Criticize A Recommended Sentence -- On A Crime A Pal Committed, To Benefit...THAT PRESIDENT?

I meant here for the headline to be the entire story. Even so, I must add a bit. . . .

I was off-grid in federal court all day yesterday, but it seems four very able career, non-political AUSAs have filed to withdraw -- from Stone's sentencing proceedings, in a protest over Trump/Barr's actions. To call this a crime syndicate -- is to. . . over-estimate the abilities of all prior crime syndicates, by a wide margin. This crime-administration ecplises them all, and by a wide margin, too.

This man committed multiple felonies -- trying to tamper with the 2016 presidential election. One Trump won, at least on paper. He was found guilty by a jury of his peers. And Trump puts his finger on the scales, to try to help him avoid a WITHIN GUIDELINES. . . federal sentence? Unless the GOP fancies this a Cold War era USSR style dictatorship. . . every one of them should be run out of office, in disgrace. This is NOT a close call. Name any democrat ever who had the audacity to try this. Name one. Not even the execrable Nixon would have dared try this. Many think it likely Stone will talk, spill his guts, even — if imprisoned for more than say three years. Barr’s move is meant to keep Stone... quiet.

The smallish good news is that [via long established checks and balances] the able USDC for life Judge Amy Berman Jackson. . . will have final say, on Stone's actual sentence duration. I predict a within-guidelines sentence -- perhaps right around five years.

Updated, on 02.13.2020 @ Noon, Eastern: Trump now complains of juror "bias", in Stone's case. However, he entirely fails to mention that Stone's lawyers did not object to this juror being empaneled, and all these facts were public record at the time. Perhaps of greater weight here is the idea that once Stone was convicted of multiple felonies -- the juror regained her right to speak freely, in support of the prosecuting attorneys -- or in favor of Stone. She chose the former; that is the American way. Her jury service informed her view of Stone. So be it. Trump is one sadly. . . lost soul. End update.

Do vote this fall. Your vote has perhaps never mattered more than it will, in 2020. Onward.

नमस्ते