Attorney general William Barr has said Donald Trump’s tweets about the sentencing of Roger Stone made it “impossible for me to do my job” – and insisted he would not be “bullied” by the president.
In a rare rebuke of the man for whom many said he performed the duties of a personal lawyer, and who has repeatedly defended through various controversies, Mr Barr said the president had never asked him to interfere in a case.
Yet, he said Mr Trump’s tweets about the sentence recommendations for Stone, which came after the department of justice has drawn up recommendations, had created major problems.
“I’m not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody ... Whether it’s congress, a newspaper editorial board, or the president,” Mr Barr told ABC News.
“I’m gonna do what I think is right. And you know – I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.”
Mr Barr, 69, joined the Trump administration in February 2019, replacing Jeff Sessions, who had a mercurial spell as attorney general. It was the second time Mr Barr had occupied the role, having previously served as the nation’s top legal and law enforcement official under George HW Bush.
As such, he took on the role with considerable experience and respect from the Republican and legal establishment.
Much of that was destroyed when he went to bat for Mr Trump once Robert Mueller published his report into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.
While Mr Mueller highlighted 10 possible instances of obstruction of justice by the president, it was Mr Barr who took the decision that the evidence did not not meet the level required for the president’s prosecution.
As such Mr Barr’s comments are all the more significant and potentially damaging to the president. No other serving member of his cabinet has chastised him like this, especially in regard to his loved use of social media.
The attorney general spoke out after his department was forced to respond to a demand from the president to review the sentencing recommendations for Stone, who was last year found guilty on seven charges relating to Mr Mueller’s Russia probe.
Federal prosecutors had recommended seven to nine years, but that was altered after the president tweeted: “This is a horrible and very unfair situation. The real crimes were on the other side, as nothing happens to them. Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!”
Asked if he would rather the president stopped tweeting, Mr Barr said: “I think it’s time to stop the tweeting about department of justice criminal cases.”
A White House spokeswoman declined to comment on Mr Barr’s explosive interview
Asked if he was prepared for the possible consequences of publicly criticising the president, Mr Barr said “of course”. He said his job was to run the justice department and make decisions on “what I think is the right thing to do”.
He added: “As I said at my confirmation hearing, I think the essential role of the attorney general is to keep law enforcement, the criminal process sacrosanct to make sure there is no political interference in it.
“And I have done that and I will continue to do that.”
