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.”
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.
“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?”
