The war between Mr. Trump and what he calls the “deep state” has entered a new, more volatile phase as the president seeks to assert greater control over a government that he is convinced is not sufficiently loyal to him. Hours after Mr. Trump’s tweets criticizing the Justice Department for seeking up to nine years in prison for Mr. Stone, the department reversed gears and said it would ask for a lesser sentence. The Justice Department rejected any link to the president’s tweets, while Mr. Trump insisted that he had nothing to do with the case. But the withdrawal of the four career prosecutors working on the case left the unmistakable impression that they thought something improper had happened. “That confidence cannot be sustained if the president or his political appointees are permitted to interfere in prosecution and sentencing recommendations in order to protect their friends and associates.”

Source: New York Times February 12, 2020 01:58 UTC