Mr. Trump has also questioned the decisions of the federal judge overseeing the Stone case. And on Tuesday, he spoke highly of Mr. Barr’s integrity while simultaneously undermining his authority. Mr. Trump said, “I’m actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country.”
Mr. Stone’s sentencing is scheduled for Thursday.
Mr. Barr’s ability to protect the Justice Department from Mr. Trump’s influence was a concern of critics when Mr. Trump announced his nomination.
Since then, critics say, Mr. Barr has all but proved their fears. Mr. Barr oversaw an administrative-review-turned-criminal inquiry into the origins of the 2016 Russia investigation, an investigation Mr. Trump had been demanding for months. Mr. Barr reviewed and decided not to pursue a criminal referral about the president’s campaign finance violations regarding Ukraine, dealings that ultimately led to Mr. Trump’s impeachment last year. And Mr. Barr summarized the findings of the special counsel inquiry, led by Robert S. Mueller III, in a manner that was favorable to Mr. Trump — leaving out details about the instances in which Mr. Trump may have obstructed justice.
Mr. Trump acknowledged on Tuesday that his running commentary on the Stone case was making Mr. Barr’s job harder, but he gave no indication that he would back off.
Asked about pardoning Mr. Stone after the president granted clemency to several white-collar criminals on Tuesday — decisions he said were made based on advice from friends and business associates — Mr. Trump said, “I haven’t given it any thought.”
He added: “In the meantime, he’s going through a process. But I think he’s been treated very unfairly.”
Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/19/us/politics/trump-barr-justice-department.html
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