Hundreds of former Department of Justice employees have signed an open letter calling for Attorney General William Barr to resign.
Over 1,100 former DOJ prosecutors and officials signed a letter posted on Medium on Sunday condemning Barr and President Trump over the department’s decision to intervene in the case of longtime GOP operative Roger Stone.
“Each of us strongly condemns President Trump’s and Attorney General Barr’s interference in the fair administration of justice,” the letter reads.
The DOJ announced on Tuesday that it would seek a lower sentence than the one recommended by the prosecutors working Stone’s case who sought a prison sentence of up to nine years. The letter accuses Barr of doing Trump’s “personal bidding” in intervening in the case.
“Those actions, and the damage they have done to the Department of Justice’s reputation for integrity and the rule of law, require Mr. Barr to resign,” the letter says.
Stone was convicted on seven counts of lying to Congress, obstruction, and witness tampering in November. After the DOJ’s announcement, the four prosecutors assigned to work the case resigned in protest.
The DOJ has filed a revised sentencing plea with the Washington, D.C., District Court that does not recommend a sentence for Stone but says the prosecutors’ earlier recommendation “could be considered excessive and unwarranted.”
