Trump interference in Roger Stone case is 'abuse of power', Pelosi says

Nancy Pelosi has blasted Donald Trump’s interference in the sentencing of Roger Stone as an abuse of power.

Hours after the president followed up a previous attack on the prosecutors and judge involved in the case involving his longtime friend and veteran Republican operative, he launched a new assault upon the jurors.

Referring to a Fox News story that accused some of the jurors of political bias, he tweeted: “This is not looking good for the “Justice” Department.”

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He added: “It looks like the fore person in the jury, in the Roger Stone case, had significant bias.”

At her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill, the House speaker denounced what she considered the president’s latest misconduct.

Shape Created with Sketch. All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment Show all 6 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. All the president's lawyers: The team fighting Trump's impeachment 1/6 Alan Dershowitz Dershowitz is a controversial American lawyer best known for the high-profile clients he has successfully defended. Those clients have included OJ Simpson, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. One longtime Harvard Law associated told the New Yorker Dershowitz "revels in taking positions that ultimately are not just controversial but pretty close to indefensible." Getty 2/6 Ken Starr Starr became a household name in the 1990s as the independent counsel who led the investigation that led to Bill Clinton's impeachment. That investigation began as a look into a real estate scandal known as Whitewater, and eventually led to impeachment after Mr Clinton lied under oath about having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. AP 3/6 Jay Sekulow Sekulow is the president's longtime personal attorney, and, now, personal lawyer in the White House. He has been accused by former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas of being "in the loop" during the Ukraine scandal. Getty 4/6 Pam Bondi Bondi is the former attorney general in Florida, and a longtime backer of the president's. She made a name for herself in Florida for taking hyper partisan stances on issues, and her penchant for publicity. She is likely to be a prominent public-facing figure during the trial. AFP/Getty 5/6 Pat Cipollone Cipollone is the White House counsel, and leading the president's defence team. Getty 6/6 Rudy Giuliani While not officially named as one of the president's impeachment lawyers, it is hard to ignore Giuliani's outsized role in this process. The former mayor of New York has been making headlines for months as he defends his client, and for his apparent role in the effort to compel Ukraine to launch the investigation into Joe Biden. We'll see how he figures in the actual trial, which he has said he would like to be a part of. Reuters 1/6 Alan Dershowitz Dershowitz is a controversial American lawyer best known for the high-profile clients he has successfully defended. Those clients have included OJ Simpson, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. One longtime Harvard Law associated told the New Yorker Dershowitz "revels in taking positions that ultimately are not just controversial but pretty close to indefensible." Getty 2/6 Ken Starr Starr became a household name in the 1990s as the independent counsel who led the investigation that led to Bill Clinton's impeachment. That investigation began as a look into a real estate scandal known as Whitewater, and eventually led to impeachment after Mr Clinton lied under oath about having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. AP 3/6 Jay Sekulow Sekulow is the president's longtime personal attorney, and, now, personal lawyer in the White House. He has been accused by former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas of being "in the loop" during the Ukraine scandal. Getty 4/6 Pam Bondi Bondi is the former attorney general in Florida, and a longtime backer of the president's. She made a name for herself in Florida for taking hyper partisan stances on issues, and her penchant for publicity. She is likely to be a prominent public-facing figure during the trial. AFP/Getty 5/6 Pat Cipollone Cipollone is the White House counsel, and leading the president's defence team. Getty 6/6 Rudy Giuliani While not officially named as one of the president's impeachment lawyers, it is hard to ignore Giuliani's outsized role in this process. The former mayor of New York has been making headlines for months as he defends his client, and for his apparent role in the effort to compel Ukraine to launch the investigation into Joe Biden. We'll see how he figures in the actual trial, which he has said he would like to be a part of. Reuters

“This is an abuse of power that the president is again trying to manipulate federal law enforcement to serve his political interests,” she said.

“This is not what America is about. It is so wrong.”

Earlier this week, it emerged the department of justice (DoJ) was ignoring the sentencing recommendations of its own staff in the case of Stone, 67, who was last year found guilty on seven charges resulting from Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.

The prosecutors had recommended he serve seven to nine years in jail. After the DoJ made the announcement following claims by Mr Trump that Stone had been unfairly treated, all four federal prosecutors involved in the case, quit or left the case.

“This is what the president is,” Ms Pelosi said on Thursday. “He thinks he’s above the law, he has not respect for the law.”

Ms Pelosi, who last year oversaw the passage of two articles of impeachment against the president in the House of Representatives, added: “What where are the Republicans to speak out on this blatant violation of the rule of law?”