Barr Needs to Soften Roger Stone's Sentence to Prevent Him from Talking about Trump's Involvement

[kpete]

.......

The trial itself provided ample evidence of what Mark Meadows considers “collusion” involving Donald Trump personally. It showed the campaign — and probably Trump personally — were working through Stone to optimize the WikiLeaks releases from the very day they came out on June 14, 2016. It showed that Stone was informing Trump personally about his efforts to optimize the releases.After some arm-twisting to adhere to his grand jury testimony, Steve Bannon testified he knew of all this, contrary to some of what he had said in earlier testimony that Trump would learn about. Erik Prince was in the loop. Gates testified that Stone was strategizing with Jared Kushner on all this. And it appears that Paul Manafort was in the loop, too.

But all that really damning evidence came out in a trial that only had to prove that Stone had lied to cover up the actions he took to optimize the release of the WikiLeaks emails. The trial did not need to explain what Stone’s actual back channel was, what he had to do to obtain it, and how involved Trump was in that process. And the trial did not explain it.

Indeed, there’s evidence I’ll lay out at more length in a follow-up that the government chose not to lay out all it knew. That is, it appears the government came to trial prepared to present evidence about the underlying “collusion,” but ultimately decided to hold it back for now.

At multiple times during the trial, however, the prosecution pointed to suspiciously timed phone calls, right before or after Stone discussed WikiLeaks with Gates, Manafort, or Jerome Corsi. Only Stone or Trump can tell us what happened between the two men, what Trump’s actual role in maximizing the degree to which his campaign benefitted from Russia’s theft of his opponent’s email.



MORE:
https://www.emptywheel.net/2020/02/11/bill-barr-needs-to-soften-roger-stones-sentence-to-bury-proof-of-collusion/

Link to tweet

?s=20

Link to tweet

?s=20

[Kurt V.]

1. as much as i respect marcy, i don't agree. the trial is over. stone isn't the singing type.

this is about flaunting and normalizing criminality.

[dewsgirl]

4. Indeed, she should know that.

[lapfog_1]

2. It is a bit more subtle

If the judge imposes a sentence similar to the original guidelines... this gives Trump the opportunity to pardon him.

If the judge gives him almost no time in prison ( like 1 year ) then Trump does nothing and Stone toughs it out.

[C_U_L8R]

3. No self-respecting judge should sign off on Barr's BS request

The corruption is plain for all to see.

[Baitball Blogger]

5. Well, now we know why Republicans like government:

Easier to pass on payola, bribes and inducements. And if that doesn't work, they can through you in a federal prison and throw away the key.

[Frustratedlady]

6. I remember the Saturday Night Massacre, but this beats that fiasco in speed, if nothing else.

Barr can't hide much more. His credibility has been dead for a long time.