It'll be interesting what Judge Amy Jackson in the Stone case decides on for a sentence.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

She doesn't seem like a Trump-friendly and it's possible she smells the same rat we all do. On the other hand, I suppose there's generally some deference to DOJ recommendations.

She's made some interesting comments during past related cases:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/17/politics/amy-berman-jackson-gates-barr/index.html

[rzemanfl]

1. My prediction, nine years. n/t

[leftieNanner]

2. She is super smart and a good person

A close friend of mine is a long-time friend of hers. Amy is legit.

When is the sentencing supposed to happen BTW? Now that three of the Federal Prosecutors have resigned from the case.

[spanone]

21. Four of them now....

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212978928

[leftieNanner]

22. FOUR!!!

That's incredible. Good for them.

I just saw that the sentencing hearing is now on February 20th.

[spanone]

23. Thanks, I hadn't heard that.

[tblue37]

42. That's all of them. nt

[wishstar]

3. I predict 5 years since that is a whole year less than original minimum recommended

She gave Manafort less than the recommended time and doubtful she would give Stone more than she gave Manafort.

[Zolorp]

4. She should now give him the maximum.

Don't hold back. Maximum sentence on every charge and cite interference by Trump in the process as the reason.

Make the sentences consecutive, too.

[gopiscrap]

28. I totally agree

[Zolorp]

31. He'll pardon ant way.

[rampartc]

5. time served

and probation might forestall an outright pardon.

though, of course, I think he should be publicly guillotined.

[rzemanfl]

17. Broken on a wheel? Drawn and quartered?

Boiled in oil? Burned at the stake? If we are gonna fantasize, may as well have fun with it.

[gopiscrap]

30. me too

[lame54]

6. She should give him...

86 months

That is one month less than the DOJ objected to
Since they didn't bother to throw out a number they cant object to this
Any higher time will give Trump the excuse to pardon him

He will pardon him anyways but no longer in agreement with the DOJ

[Karadeniz]

7. Throw the book at the parasite.

[gratuitous]

9. In my dreams

In my dreams, everyone gets before Judge Jackson at the sentencing. Stone is smirking, knowing the whole thing is rigged. The DOJ attorneys look alternately as if they're proud to be there and ready to crawl into a hole. They too know the whole thing is rigged, but some vestigial trace of conscience remains that they shouldn't be a party to such a travesty. Judge Jackson is running a carefully timed five minutes late for the hearing to start. The delay is just long enough for everyone to get just a little nervous.

Judge Jackson comes in, everyone stands, she sits down and shuffles some papers. Everyone sits down. Then she launches into a very detailed question and answer for the DOJ attorneys. You originally recommended 7 to 9 years, then you backed off. Way off. Why? Who was involved in the original recommendation? Who ordered the change in recommendation? Who wrote up the new recommendation? Get it all on the official court record, every last detail, and every last fingerprint on how the sentencing recommendation came to be so foreshortened.

She turns to Stone and his attorneys. Stone is still smirking, maybe even smirking a little more watching the government attorneys get raked. Judge Jackson asks if Stone's attorneys have anything to say? No, your honor. Very well.

Judge Jackson then goes into a detailed history of one Roger Stone, from his earliest days ratfucking for Nixon to the present. Sadly, the court is constrained to consider only the charges of which Stone has been convicted, not his entire criminal career. But the case is damning enough. Nine years.

Yeah, Stone gets his pardon and he's a free man before the echo of Judge Jackson's gavel dies. But the DOJ is now on the record as to how this case got so fucked up. And everyone involved in an official capacity knows that the statute of limitations won't run until after Donald Trump is no longer the president. Your reward for blowing your career to smithereens is Roger Stone's freedom. Congratufuckinglations.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

10. I like it!

[rzemanfl]

15. GMTA. I am too old and lazy to type much though. n/t

[skip fox]

24. Fine idea.

[Brother Buzz]

11. I would love to be a fly on the wall of the Judge Amy Jackson's chambers when....

the three prosecuting attorneys are called in for a little chat

[Arazi]

16. They've all resigned fyi

[Brother Buzz]

19. Yes, and how's that going to affect an invitation to visit for a friendly clarifying chat

Going forward, Judge Amy Jackson needs and deserves answers to what is happening.

[tblue37]

43. There were four, but all four resigned from the case. nt

[Brother Buzz]

45. Understood, but you got to understand, I blinked yesterday

[tblue37]

47. Yeah, I know what you mean. nt

[onenote]

12. Interestingly, the new DOJ recommendation argues for a period of incarceration, but doesn't specify

any particular period (other than arguing that the original recommendation was excessive).

It's easy to see the game being played here. If DOJ made a specific recommendation that was absurdly low, there would political heat. By throwing it back to the judge (but making clear DOJ's opposition to the original recommendation) they set it up for Trump, no matter what the Judge does, to conclude it was too much and issue a commutation, reducing the sentence to less than a year.

[tblue37]

44. I read they're suggesting 3-4 years. nt

[yellowcanine]

13. Judge Amy Jackson should ask AG Barr to appear before her and do some 'splainin'

[Cicada]

14. fix is in. long sentence, then trump just commutes it.

[SWBTATTReg]

18. Especially with so much interference...I wonder if she'll address the supposed interference. nt

[Cartoonist]

20. Probation

She knows Trump will have her taken out if she does otherwise.

[skip fox]

25. She'll stand.

Like Yovanvich, et al.

[Cartoonist]

38. Then she'll show more courage than a Republican senator

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. He can't. Presidents can't fire or demote federal judges.

[Cartoonist]

37. Imagine a mob boss saying "take her out"

[MontanaMama]

27. Jeez I hope she has security.

Marie Yovanovich comes to mind.

[aikoaiko]

29. She's an Obama appointment.

I think she'll do the right thing.

[Locutusofborg]

32. A Long sentence assures Trump's commutation or pardon

Trump has not (yet) pardoned his campaign chairman Paul Manafort. A sentence at the mid-way point would be good.
But let's not forget that Stone posted a picture of Judge Berman Jackson with cross-hairs next to her face.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/roger-stone-instagram-judge-photo

[dewsgirl]

33. My thoughts exactly.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

35. I hadn't seen that picture before. Ugh.

[jmowreader]

41. I'm not completely sure about that

Please remember when discussing possible pardons for people like Stone and Manafort: Neither man can do anything for Trump ever again. Trump therefore has no motivation to help either one.

[Phoenix61]

34. I hope she nails him.

If Twitler wants to pardon him, he will. It doesn’t matter what the sentence is.

[Poiuyt]

36. Don't judges typically follow prosecutors recommendations?

And if they don't, aren't they leaving the case susceptible to appeal?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

39. Often, but not always.

They tend to stay within the guidelines - if anything they tend to depart downward. Sentencing appeals are rarely successful unless the judge deviated from the guidelines by a lot.

[Vivienne235729]

40. I hope she sticks w her integrity and not cowtow to protecting her job

In the long run, I think she'll do better professionally.

[PRETZEL]

46. A question for the experts,

of which I am not,

How much of the non-evidentiary shennanigans that Stone pulled,(i.e. violating gag orders, the picture of Judge Jackson, etc.) can she use as mitigating circumstances in any upward adjustment to the guidelines.

It will most certainly be a foregone conclusion that any sentence will be appealed so I'm wondering how much of this would become issues for that appeal?

[RhodeIslandOne]

48. This may be a backfire for the new Department of Crime

[Vinca]

49. There was a woman on MSNBC a little while ago who said the judge would not be

free to give Stone a different sentence since Barr had weighed in, but that's got nothing to do with it . . . does it? The judge in the Michael Cohen case gave him less than the sentence asked for by prosecutors. I'm hoping the judge sends both Stone and Flynn to the big house for multiple years.