2/14/2020

ATTORNEY GENERAL/LEGAL/ROGER STONE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “US President Donald Trump has tweeted he has ‘the legal right’ to intervene in criminal cases after his attorney general complained White House tweets were making his job ‘impossible’. In his post, Mr Trump also denied he had ever meddled in any cases. America’s top law officer William Barr on Thursday asked Mr Trump to stop his tweets, saying he would not be bullied. Mr Barr spoke out after Mr Trump renewed his attack on the criminal trial of his ex-adviser, Roger Stone. Prosecutors had recommended Stone serve a stiff sentence, but Mr Trump tweeted that was unfair. On Friday [2-14-20] morning, Mr Trump ignored the attorney general’s plea to stop tweeting. It is legally ambiguous whether the US president has the authority to order the attorney general to open or shut a case.”

BBC Staff, “Trump says he has right to act on criminal cases,” BBC, February 14, 2020