Quote:
Originally Posted by
El Kabong
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kirkland Laing
Stone was convicted of serious crimes: lying to Congress and witness tampering. His recommended sentence was by the book — literally. Federal prosecutors go by a manual from the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Commission that lays out appropriate sentences for specific offenses. The seven- to nine-year sentence that prosecutors had sought was precisely what equal justice mandated.
Keep in mind, however, that Stone chose to go to trial. He also sought to vilify the prosecution and engage in circus maneuvers designed to suggest his prosecution was a joke. Federal defendants who engage in such tactics virtually never receive sentences lighter than the guidelines stipulate. The system would break down were it otherwise.
Oooh
ITALICS fancy.
1. Roger Stone was only found guilty of lying to Congress.
1A. Many a person has lied to Congress and not served a single day in prison
2. “I never in any way felt that Stone himself posed a direct physical threat to me or my dog,” ......who said that? Randy Credico, who is that? Oh that's the witness Stone is said to have "tampered" with
3. Robert Mueller hand picked these folks to run this case
4. The judge can sentence Stone to however long she wants and hell she'll probably add a few years just like she sent Manafort off to solitary.....Trump can still pardon Stone and he probably will.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kirkland Laing
But that anomaly is the least of the outrages in this situation. More worrisome is the naked countermand of the recommendation of career prosecutors in favor of a sweetheart recommendation for a political ally of the president. This is indefensible in the U.S. justice system for any reason, least of all raw political favoritism.
The anomaly here is the severity of the punishment 7-9 for a nonviolent crime? 7-9 for a crime that is selectively prosecuted? All Trump said and all Barr DID was say 7-9 is too much and boom 4 resignations and immediate bellyaching from the lefties. Calls for yet another bite at the impeachment apple....maybe Trump can get impeached twice and even then he'd STILL win in November.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kirkland Laing
I have never experienced or even heard of a situation in which a career prosecutor had been ordered to withdraw a sentencing memorandum within the guidelines’ range. The original filing in the Stone case came from two career federal prosecutors and two special assistant U.S. attorneys. This rebuke has to be maddening for them.
There you are, in stunned disbelief.....when will that light finally click on for you? When there's the first arrest maybe? Maybe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kirkland Laing
In the real world this is just part of the continued banana republicisation of America. Your country is going down the toilet in record time. The Fed and the financial system will be next.
I guess you'd know. I mean after all, you knew this was coming right?
Stone was found guilty of lying to congress, witness tampering and obstruction of justice. The Federal rulebook says people guilty of those crimes face seven to nine years which is what prosecutors were asking with Stone.
The judge did not put Manafort in solitary, the prison warder did. Manafort was in a private cell for his own safety with his own bathroom, computer and phone.
Barr stepped in and altered the decision of the line prosecutors in the case and gave a much reduced sentencing guideline. The four prosecutors involved all then resigned. Trump congratulated Barr for inserting himself into the case and recommending a much reduced prison sentence for Stone for crimes Stone committed to protect the president. Trump will eventually pardon Stone, or at least commute the sentence because pardoning Stone means he loses the right to claim the Fifth in any subsequent investigation and could be imprisoned until he tells the truth about what Trump knew about the Russian election interference.
I remember when Bill Clinton havig a brief public encounter on an airport runway with the Obama Attorney General was evidence that the whole Obama administration was a cesspool of corruption. You claimed that Lynch was going to jail for involving herself in the Hillary Clinton investigation even though she took no further part in it. Here we have the president congratulating the Attorney General for carrying out his wishes to see Stone given a much reduced sentence with possibly even no jail time. Trump is also openly pushing for investigations into various Demoratci/Obama people and his Attorney General has recently opened another investigation into Comey, is keeping one against McCabe alive even though a grand jury refused to indict the first bullshit charges, has changed another sentencing recommendation into the Flynn case and more still.
And you're cheering this on. Why the double standard Lyle? Why is a meeting between Clinton and Lynch evidence of massive corruption and should lead to jailings but banana republic levels of political control over the Trump Justice Department a good thing? This is only going to get worse too. America's institutions aren't standing up well to an increasingly authoritarian president. Nobody is stopping Trump from doing what he wants so he's going to continue the criminality. Of the twelve people who testified publicly in the House impeachment inquiry only three still have their jobs. It's only been a week since Trump was acquitted and since then he's retaliated against witnesses, set the DOJ after a bunch of political opponents, inserted himself into an accomplice's sentencing, attacked a Federal judge, today attacked a Federal juror and is now trying to get New York to drop various investigations into him to continue to get Federal funding.
And you're supporting all this. And you'll continue to support your leader as he becomes more and more authoritarian. In any country where there's a slide from liberal democracy into authoritarianism you always have a group of people round the leader and a chunk of the population who will click their heels and obey orders. It's as ugly as hell to watch it happen to America. It's not something I thought could happen this quickly either.
There you are, in stunned disbelief.....when will that light finally click on for you? When there's the first arrest maybe? Maybe.
What exactly do you mean by this Lyle?