February, 11 2020, 11:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Diane Alexander, Democracy 21—202-355-9600 or dalexander@democracy21.org.
Democracy 21 Calls for House and DOJ Investigations of Unfit to Serve AG Barr, Documents Barr's Repeated Abuses of Office
WASHINGTON
In an apparently unprecedented act, the sentencing recommendation submitted by the office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia to Judge Amy Berman Jackson in the case of Roger Stone was withdrawn and changed by the Justice Department.
According to a report by NBC News, this withdrawal and resubmission occurred after President Trump attacked the original Stone sentencing recommendation and Attorney General William Barr took control of the Stone case. The report says that Barr has also been taking control of other legal matters of interest to President Trump.
"Attorney General Barr is politicizing the Justice Department in plain sight. Barr is dangerously SP undermining the Department's independence, integrity and credibility by engaging in multiple abuses of office," Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer said.
On January 17, 2020, Democracy 21 filed a complaint with DOJ's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) against Attorney General Barr that documented Barr's pattern of biased actions in favor of President Trump and the Attorney General's repeated failures to comply with Justice Department norms, rules and standards of conduct. The complaint requested OPR to investigate and take appropriate action regarding Barr's improprieties.
See the Democracy 21 complaint here and a Wertheimer article published by Just Security entitled "William Barr: A Failed Attorney General Unfit to Serve" here.
"The House of Representatives should begin an investigation and hearings promptly into Attorney General Barr's repeated abuses of his office, starting with the reported interventions in the Roger Stone and Michael Flynn convictions," according to Wertheimer.
The stated core mission of the Justice Department is "to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans."
"Attorney General Barr has repeatedly compromised and publicly undermined the Justice Department's mission. Barr is misusing the Justice Department to serve President Trump's political interests and personal desires at enormous costs to the Department, to the public servants who work there and to the American people. Barr is unfit to serve as Attorney General and the sooner Barr leaves office, the better off our country will be," Wertheimer said.
Democracy 21 is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to making democracy work for all Americans. Democracy 21, and its education arm, Democracy 21 Education Fund, work to eliminate the undue influence of big money in American politics, prevent government corruption, empower citizens in the political process and ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and elections. The organization promotes campaign finance reform and other related political reforms to accomplish these goals.
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