LIVE: Republican congressman Louie Gohmert disrupts a witness' opening remarks because 'there are no rules about when you can make noise'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A Justice Department prosecutor who worked on the government's case against the former GOP strategist <keyword id="2492639" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Roger-Stone">Roger Stone</keyword> will testify to Congress this week that senior leadership improperly interfered in Stone's sentencing recommendation for political reasons.</li><li>The prosecutor, <keyword id="9452629" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aaron-zelinsky">Aaron Zelinsky</keyword>, worked on the former special counsel Robert Mueller's team during the FBI's Russia probe, and Stone's conviction was one of the most high profile victories they secured.</li><li>In February, senior DOJ officials publicly overruled Zelinsky and other prosecutors working on the case to seek a more lenient sentence for Stone, one of President Donald Trump's closest allies.</li><li>"What I heard — repeatedly — was that Roger Stone was being treated differently from any other defendant because of his relationship to the president," Zelinsky will testify, according to his opening statement, which was obtained by The New York Times.</li><li>He will tell Congress that the US attorney for the District of Columbia was under "heavy pressure from the highest levels of the Department of Justice to cut Stone a break," and that he complied with Attorney General <keyword id="4314940" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="william-barr">William Barr</keyword>'s command for a weaker sentence because he was "afraid of the president."</li></ul>A prosecutor who worked on the Justice Department's case against the former Republican strategist Roger Stone will testify to Congress this week that senior officials improperly interfered in the sentencing recommendation for Stone because of political reasons.The prosecutor, Aaron Zelinsky, worked on the former special counsel Robert Mueller's team during the FBI's Russia investigation. Stone's conviction on seven felony counts of obstruction, witness tampering, and false statements was one of the most high profile victories they secured.The charging document against Stone contained a slew of details about his false statements to Congress about his interactions involving WikiLeaks; his extensive communications with the far-right commentator Jerome Corsi and the radio host Randy Credico about WikiLeaks' document dumps in summer 2016; and his prolonged efforts to prevent Credico from testifying to Congress or turning over information to the FBI.In their original sentencing recommendation, prosecutors wrote that "a sentence consistent with the Guidelines is appropriate based on the nature and extent of Stone's conduct, the length of time it transpired" — nearly two years — "and the matter of significant national importance that it centered upon."After senior department leaders interfered with the sentencing recommendation at the direction of Attorney General William Barr, Zelinsky and the three other prosecutors working on Stone's case withdrew as counsel for the government.The DOJ's new sentencing memo in Stone's case was signed only by John Crabb, Jr., the acting head of the criminal division of the US attorney's office in Washington, DC."What I heard — repeatedly — was that Roger Stone was being treated differently from any other defendant because of his relationship to the president," Zelinsky will testify, according to a copy of his opening statement submitted to the House Judiciary Committee ahead of Wednesday's hearing. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/us/politics/roger-stone-sentencing-politicized.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times first reported</a> on the statement.Zelinsky will tell lawmakers that a supervisor on the case told him that there were "political reasons" to seek a more lenient sentence for Stone, even though the supervisor acknowledged that doing so "was unethical and wrong."Zelinsky, who now works at the US attorney's office in Maryland, will testify that senior Justice Department leaders ignored concerns that he and other prosecutors on the case raised both in writing and in conversations. Their "objections were not heeded," Zelinsky will say.Barr's order to ask for a weaker sentence in Stone's case also came shortly after he had Jessie Liu, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, removed from her position and replaced her with Timothy Shea, a close ally from his own office, in an acting capacity.Hours before the DOJ reversed its own prosecutors' sentencing recommendation, Trump complained on Twitter about the initial recommendation."This is a horrible and very unfair situation," <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1227122206783811585">Trump tweeted</a>. "The real crimes were on the other side, as nothing happens to them. Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!"Zelinsky will tell Congress that Shea was under "heavy pressure from the highest levels of the Department of Justice to cut Stone a break," and that he complied with Barr's command because he was "afraid of the president." Zelinsky will also say that officials told him and other prosecutors on the case that this was "not the hill worth dying on" and that they may be fired if they didn't comply with Barr's directive.John Elias, who currently serves as a senior official in the DOJ's antitrust division, will testify alongside Zelinsky at Wednesday's hearing before the House Judiciary Committee. According to The Times, Elias is expected to tell lawmakers that under Barr's leadership, multiple other actions and cases have also been killed while others have been pursued despite having a shaky legal basis.Elias plans to testify that the DOJ abused its antitrust power to investigate ten proposed mergers and acquisitions in the marijuana industry because Barr "did not like the nature of their underlying business."He will tell lawmakers that after antitrust staff expressed concerns about being used as a tool to harass firms, the head of the division convened a staff meeting and "acknowledged that the investigations were motivated by the fact that the cannabis industry is unpopular 'on the fifth floor,' a reference to Attorney General Barr's offices in the D.O.J. headquarters building."

Mueller prosecutor will testify that DOJ leaders sought a weaker sentence for Roger Stone because they were 'afraid of the president'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="99225" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Justice-Department">Justice Department</keyword> began investigating a New York doctor pushing unproven <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> treatments after a far-right conspiracy theorist accidentally emailed a federal prosecutor instead of the doctor.</li><li>The Washington Post reported that the conspiracist, <keyword id="9152410" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jerome-corsi">Jerome Corsi</keyword>, meant to email the doctor, Vladimir "Zev" Zelenko, but instead emailed Aaron Zelinsky, a prosecutor who worked with Robert Mueller and spent months investigating Corsi as part of the <keyword id="4540973" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Russia-probe">Russia probe</keyword>.</li><li>Zelinsky reportedly emailed Corsi back and requested all his communications with Zelenko, who promotes the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus.</li><li>There is no robust evidence that the drug is an effective coronavirus treatment. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/24/chloroquine-study-coronavirus-brazil">One Brazilian study</a> was halted after patients died. </li><li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/22/trump-hydroxychloroquine-study-coronavirus">And the biggest patient study yet</a>, conducted in the US, showed there was no benefit to using the drug to treat coronavirus.</li><li>The Justice Department is prioritizing cases related to coronavirus misinformation, fraudsters, and people who promote fake, dangerous, or unproven treatments for the virus.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Jerome Corsi, a far-right conspiracy theorist and close associate of the longtime GOP strategist Roger Stone, wanted to email Vladimir "Zev" Zelenko, a New York doctor who frequently appears on Fox <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">News</keyword> and has communicated with the White House about using hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus.But instead of Zelenko, Corsi accidentally emailed Aaron Zelinsky, a federal prosecutor who worked on the former special counsel Robert Mueller's team and spent months investigating Corsi and others, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/vladimir-zev-zelenko-fox-news-trump-hydroxychloroquine-jerome-corsi/2020/04/30/82622456-8af2-11ea-ac8a-fe9b8088e101_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post reported Friday</a>.Zelinsky responded to Corsi's email by reaching out to Corsi's lawyer and asking for all of Corsi's communications with Zelenko, according to The Post. The Justice Department is now investigating all of Zelenko's communications.Zelinsky works at the US attorney's office in Maryland which, along with US attorneys' offices, has been tasked with prioritizing cases related to coronavirus misinformation, fraudsters, and people who promote fake, dangerous, or unproven treatments for the virus. The Justice Department is reportedly scrutinizing Zelenko's communications as part of that mandate.Corsi said he and Zelenko are working together on a website that will connect people with doctors. He added that he and Zelenko have acted properly and he will cooperate with the inquiry. Corsi handed over all his communications with the doctor, including text messages, podcast materials, and marketing materials for the website.The Post reported that Corsi revealed details of the email mix-up on an episode of his daily podcast and in a YouTube video he posted late Thursday after the paper reached out to him.Zelenko frequently promotes hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus. It is an effective anti-malarial drug, but despite being repeatedly touted by President Donald Trump as a potential cure for the virus, there's no robust evidence that it would work.A <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/didier-raoult-is-the-bs-artist-behind-trumps-miracle-drug">controversial</a> French study found a combination of drugs that included hydroxychloroquine may be effective in combating the coronavirus. And although the study hadn't yet been replicated, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/04/hydroxychloroquine-trump/609547/">it was repeatedly mentioned on Fox News</a>.Subsequent studies have suggested that such anti-malarials have no impact on the coronavirus. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/24/chloroquine-study-coronavirus-brazil">One Brazilian study</a> was halted after patients died. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/22/trump-hydroxychloroquine-study-coronavirus">And the biggest patient study yet</a>, conducted in the US, showed there was no benefit to using the drug to treat coronavirus.Last week, the Food and Drug Administration, warned doctors against using hydroxychloroquine outside of a hospital or clinical trial, citing reports of "serious heart rhythm problems."Gregory Rigano, a lawyer who said he's working with Zelenko, told The Post on Thursday that federal prosecutors have not contacted him or his client, and that is not aware of any potential law enforcement interest in Zelenko."It's not something I'm familiar with," Rigano said. "We're just saving people's lives that have coronavirus and getting rid of this virus from America as soon as possible."In his YouTube video, Corsi showed the email he said he accidentally sent to Zelinsky, in which he wrote that Zelenko had "an FDA approved randomized test of HCQ underway," referring to hydroxychloroquine.Corsi said that Zelinsky then went to a government website that displays approved clinical trials and found no mention of or reference to Zelenko. Corsi said he later asked Zelenko about it, and Zelenko replied that his study was approved by an internal hospital panel."I pointed out to Zelenko, 'But it's not registered as an FDA test, and you can't say it is,' " Corsi said Thursday on YouTube, The Post reported. He added that he didn't think Zelenko was trying to dupe anyone but instead does not understand what it means to have an FDA-approved test."I did nothing wrong," Corsi said. "Zelenko made a mistake. He's got no case. And we're following all the rules."Corsi made headlines during the <keyword id="4335055" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="russia-investigation">Russia investigation</keyword> after he was named as "Person 1" in the Justice Department's indictment against Stone.In November 2018, Corsi said he expected to be charged in the investigation, which examined Russia's interference in the 2016 US election and whether members associated with the Trump campaign conspired with Moscow to tilt the race in Trump's favor.A few days after saying he expected to be indicted, Corsi confirmed he had entered plea negotiations with Mueller's team. But last April, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-special-counsels-long-hunt-to-uncover-whether-the-trump-campaign-conspired-with-russia/2019/04/21/57e67ac4-563c-11e9-814f-e2f46684196e_story.html?noredirect=on" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Post reported</a> that Corsi's lawyer, David Gray, said investigators were "dumbfounded" by his inconsistent testimony, and Gray was also concerned by it.According to Gray, investigators ultimately decided after extensively interviewing Corsi that they could not "use any of this." Corsi himself recalled telling investigators, "Sometimes I can't tell if I remembered or invented."Shona Ghosh contributed reporting.Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doj-investigates-doctor-pushing-questionable-coronavirus-treatments-after-accidental-email-2020-5">Business Insider</a>

DOJ began investigating a doctor promoting unproven COVID-19 treatments after a Roger Stone associate accidentally emailed a federal prosecutor instead of the doctor

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e4330462dae5c49685f07a4-2400/2020-02-11t182427z1lynxmpeg1a1n3rtroptp4usa-trump-russia-stone.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: Roger Stone, former campaign adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, departs after he was found guilty on seven criminal counts in his trial on charges of lying to Congress, obstructing justice and witness tampering in this still image taken from video at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., November 15, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Fogarty" /><ul class="summary-list"><li>All four prosecutors overseeing the US government's case against the longtime GOP strategist Roger Stone withdrew themselves from the case Tuesday after senior DOJ officials publicly overruled their sentencing recommendation for Stone.</li><li>The shocking public rebuke came after President Donald Trump weighed in on the initial sentencing recommendation, calling it "horrible and unfair."</li><li>The four prosecutors who subsequently withdrew after the DOJ's announcement are: Aaron Zelinsky, Jonathan Kravis, Adam Jed, and Michael Marando.</li><li>The DOJ's new sentencing memo in Stone's case was signed only by John Crabb, Jr., the acting head of the criminal division of the US attorney's office in Washington, DC.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>All four of the prosecutors working on the US government's case against the longtime GOP strategist Roger Stone withdrew en masse on Tuesday after senior DOJ officials publicly overruled their sentencing recommendation for Stone.In a filing on Monday, the prosecutors requested Stone be sentenced to seven to nine years in prison. He was convicted last year of seven felony counts of obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and false statements.But on Tuesday, in a shocking rebuke of the career prosecutors, senior DOJ officials told reporters they would seek a lesser sentence for Stone. Their announcement came after President Donald Trump publicly defended Stone and called the initial sentencing recommendation "horrible and unfair.""That recommendation is not what had been briefed to the department," a senior official told The New York Times and The Washington Post. "The department finds the recommendation extreme and excessive and disproportionate to Stone's offenses. The department will clarify its position later today."The four prosecutors who subsequently withdrew after that announcement are Aaron Zelinsky, Jonathan Kravis, Adam Jed, and Michael Marando.The DOJ's new sentencing memo in Stone's case was signed only by John Crabb, Jr., the acting head of the criminal division of the US attorney's office in Washington, DC.In their original memo, prosecutors wrote that "a sentence consistent with the Guidelines is appropriate based on the nature and extent of Stone's conduct, the length of time it transpired" - nearly two years - "and the matter of significant national importance that it centered upon."Prosecutors also noted that they did not come to their decision lightly, saying it came "after days of tense debate" within the US attorney's office and that "a recommendation on the higher end prevailed."The new memo maintained that the original sentencing calculation of seven to nine years for Stone was correct. But at the same time, it said the recommendation "could be considered excessive and unwarranted" and that the DOJ will "[defer] to the Court" about how long Stone should be sentenced.It is extraordinarily unusual for prosecutors to withdraw from a case one after another as they did on Tuesday, and the development raises immediate questions about whether the attorneys withdrew in protest of the DOJ's senior leadership to overrule them, particularly in light of the president's comments about the case."I don't see how a prosecutor *could* explain this," Renato Mariotti, a longtime former federal prosecutor, <a href="https://twitter.com/renato_mariotti/status/1227285983806328832">wrote on Twitter</a>. "Yesterday they told the judge that a sentence of seven to nine years was appropriate for Roger Stone. Today they're supposed to argue that they were wrong yesterday? Any judge would ask: What changed between yesterday and today?"Susan Hennessey, the former general counsel at the National Security Agency, wrote on Twitter that while US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who is overseeing Stone's case, is unlikely to go along with the DOJ's shift, the move "would still give Trump cover to pardon Stone outright which presumably is the long game here."The special counsel Robert Mueller's office charged Stone in January 2019 with one count of obstruction of justice, five counts of making false statements to the FBI and congressional investigators, and one count of witness tampering, in connection with his contacts with people linked to the radical pro-transparency group WikiLeaks.The charging document against Stone contained a slew of details about his false statements to Congress about his interactions involving WikiLeaks; his extensive communications with the far-right commentator Jerome Corsi and the radio host Randy Credico about WikiLeaks' document dumps in summer 2016; and his prolonged efforts to prevent Credico from testifying to Congress or turning over information to the FBI.

The prosecutors on Roger Stone's case withdrew en masse after senior DOJ officials publicly overruled them

<ul class="summary-list"><li>House Speaker <keyword id="128640" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nancy-Pelosi">Nancy Pelosi</keyword> has ruled out impeaching Attorney General <keyword id="4314940" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="william-barr">William Barr</keyword> ahead of the November election.</li><li>"One hundred and thirty one days from now, we will have the solution to many problems, one of them being Barr," Pelosi said Thursday in a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/pelosi-resists-calls-for-barrs-impeachment-saying-the-november-election-will-be-the-solution-to-many-problems/2020/06/25/93923bfe-b6ed-11ea-a8da-693df3d7674a_story.html">Washington Post Live interview</a>.</li><li>Barr has been criticized for a series of efforts to allegedly politicize the Department of Justice.</li><li>Barr's decisions as Attorney General were the subject of a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/live-house-judiciary-committee-hearing-aaron-zelinsky-testimony-2020-6">House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday</a>.</li></ul>House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that the House of Representatives won't impeach Attorney General Bill Barr before this fall's presidential election. Speaking at a Washington Post virtual event, Pelosi ruled out officially beginning <keyword id="84041" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Impeachment">impeachment</keyword> proceedings against Barr, who <a href="https://time.com/5858835/william-barr-testimony-doj-house-judiciary-committee/">is set to testify before the House in July. </a>"One hundred and thirty-one days from now, we will have the solution to many problems, one of them being Barr," she said, referring to the November 3 presidential election. Barr has faced criticism throughout his tenure from Democrats who say he conducts his job more like Trump's personal lawyer than the US' lawyer. Recently, Barr has been criticized for his <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/live-house-judiciary-committee-hearing-aaron-zelinsky-testimony-2020-6">abrupt firing </a>of Geoffrey Berman, the now-former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York who was investigating several colleagues of President Trump. On Wednesday, two Department of Justice whistleblowers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/live-house-judiciary-committee-hearing-aaron-zelinsky-testimony-2020-6">testified before the House Judiciary Committee</a> about what they described as improper political interference from top DOJ officials, including Barr. One of the whistleblowers, assistant US Attorney Aaron Zelinsky, worked on the prosecution of Trump ally Roger Stone. He testified that his supervisors, including the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, overrode the prosecution team's sentencing recommendation for Stone and recommended a lesser sentence at Barr's behest. The other, anti-trust division attorney John Elias, testified that Barr abused his power to direct the anti-trust division to aggressively go after cannabis industry mergers and acquisitions because he "did not like the nature of their underlying business.""Anyone who saw that testimony will know that Barr is a mess and a disgrace to the Department of Justice. I've been talking about that for a while, and last year, around this time, we had a motion on the floor to hold him in civil and criminal contempt," Pelosi said. "So he is contemptible, there is no question about that. But at this point, let's solve our problems by going to the polls and voting on election day."<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—The Recount (@therecount) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1276211281591230467?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2020</a></blockquote>Jake Lahut contributed reporting.

Pelosi says the House won't impeach AG Barr: 'Let's solve our problems by going to the polls and voting on Election Day'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> is widely expected to pardon the longtime former Republican strategist <keyword id="2492639" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Roger-Stone">Roger Stone</keyword>, CNN reported.</li><li>In an interview with the talk radio host Howie Carr this week, Trump complained about Stone's alleged mistreatment by prosecutors, saying he was "framed" and "treated horrible."</li><li>When Carr told Trump that Stone was "praying" for a pardon before having to report to prison on July 14, Trump answered, "If you say he's praying, his prayer may be answered. Let's see what happens." </li><li>Stone acted as an informal adviser to the Trump 2016 campaign and was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison in February after being convicted of seven counts of obstruction of justice, false statements, and witness tampering.</li></ul>President Donald Trump may be on the brink of pardoning or commuting the sentence of Roger Stone, the longtime former Republican strategist who worked as an informal adviser on the Trump campaign, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/09/politics/trump-roger-stone/index.html">CNN reported on Thursday</a>.Citing half a dozen sources close to the president, the outlet reported that Trump is widely expected to grant clemency to Stone.A jury convicted the former strategist of seven felony counts in November: five counts of making false statements to the FBI and congressional investigators, one count of witness tampering, and one count of obstruction of justice.Earlier this year, a federal judge sentenced Stone to 40 months in prison for his crimes, as well as a $20,000 fine, four years of probation after his prison term, and 250 hours of community service.In an interview with the talk radio host Howie Carr this week, Trump complained about Stone's alleged mistreatment by prosecutors, saying he was "framed" and "treated horrible." He also praised Stone's character, saying the former strategist and self-described dirty trickster was a "good person.""He was treated so badly," the president added. When Carr told Trump that Stone was "praying" for a pardon before having to report to prison on July 14, Trump answered, "If you say he's praying, his prayer may be answered. Let's see what happens." The charges against Stone were linked to his contacts with the radical pro-transparency group WikiLeaks and subsequent efforts to suppress witness testimony.Stone's indictment from the former special counsel Robert Mueller's office contained a slew of details about his false statements to Congress about interactions involving WikiLeaks; his extensive communications with the far-right commentator Jerome Corsi and the radio host Randy Credico about WikiLeaks' document dumps in summer 2016; and his prolonged efforts to prevent Credico from testifying to Congress or turning over information to the FBI.Trump frequently excoriates the Justice Department and prosecutors working on Stone's case for treating him too harshly.The four career prosecutors involved in Stone's case initially recommended a sentence of seven to nine years based on federal sentencing guidelines.But after Trump publicly complained on Twitter in February, calling the recommendation "horrible" and "unfair," senior DOJ leadership announced that they would reverse the initial recommendation, which they called "excessive and unwarranted," and request a lighter sentence for Stone.The highly unusual intervention prompted all the prosecutors on Stone's case to either withdraw from the case or resign from the DOJ altogether. One of the prosecutors, Aaron Zelinsky, testified to Congress last month that DOJ leaders sought a weaker sentence for Stone at the direction of Attorney General William Barr because they were "afraid of the president."<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/barr-blasts-trumps-tweets-stone-case-impossible-job/story?id=68963276&amp;cid=social_twitter_wnt_wnt">Barr, meanwhile, told ABC News</a> after senior officials overrode the prosecutors that he had already decided to request a lighter sentence for Stone before Trump tweeted, but he said the president's constant public comments made it "impossible" for him to do his job.Still, the timing of the DOJ's announcement raised questions and rankled former officials who accused the attorney general of catering to the president's public demands and allowing Trump to weaponize the DOJ for political purposes.After US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson announced Stone's sentence, Trump hinted at the possibility of a pardon a few hours later."I'm following this very closely and I want to see it play out to its fullest because Roger has a very good chance of exoneration in my opinion," the president said at the "Hope for Prisoners" graduation ceremony in Las Vegas."I'd love to see it happen," he added, and went on to baselessly accuse a juror in Stone's case of being "totally tainted" and an "anti-Trump activist."But Trump stopped short of promising a pardon, saying, "I'm not going to do anything in terms of the great powers bestowed upon a president of the United States. I want the process to play out. I think that's the best thing to do."

Trump says Roger Stone's 'prayer' for a pardon 'may be answered' soon

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the new edition of <keyword id="9095853" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="insider-today">Insider Today</keyword>. Please <a href="https://www.insider.com/insider-today">sign up here</a>.Insider columnist <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/linette-lopez">Linette Lopez</a> joins us with thoughts today on the possibilities of new tariffs.<h2>QUOTE OF THE DAY</h2>"In the many cases I have been privileged to work on in my career, I have never seen political influence play any role in prosecutorial decision making. With one exception: United States v. Roger Stone." — <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/read-aaron-zelinsky-s-opening-statement-to-the-house-judiciary-committee/c8d10cfa-3de6-4dc5-93a1-0254593a11b6/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_5">Former DOJ prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky</a>'s opening statement to the House Judiciary Committee.<h2>WHAT'S HAPPENING</h2>Federal government to reduce testing assistance for five states as cases surge in the South and West: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-coronavirus-test-sites-ending-funding-5-states-2020-6">The cuts will especially hurt Texas.</a> Nationwide, cases hit their highest levels since April.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/young-people-driving-surge-in-coronavirus-cases-midwest-south-2020-6"> Young adults are driving the spikes</a> in Texas, Arizona, and Florida. All kinds of furor around Trump's Justice Department: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/democrats-to-subpoena-william-barr/2020/06/23/2fd49260-b558-11ea-a510-55bf26485c93_story.html">Ex-DOJ prosecutor testifies</a> he was ordered to go easy on Roger Stone because he was a friend of the president. Another ex-DOJer says AG Bill Barr also pursued a personal vendetta against marijuana companies. Meanwhile, a DC appeals court <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/appeals-court-orders-judge-dismiss-doj-case-michael-flynn-2020-6">ordered a judge</a> to stop investigating the fishy DOJ decision to drop its prosecution of Trump aide Michael Flynn. Progressive candidates beat expectations in NY and KY primaries. Jamaal Bowman has a big lead on incumbent Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel; AOC crushed a more moderate primary challenger; and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amy-mcgrath-vs-charles-booker-kentucky-primary-live-results-updates-2020-6">Charles Booker is giving Amy McGrath a close run</a> in the Kentucky Democratic senate primary.<h2>VIEWS OF THE DAY</h2><div type="image" title="Trump coronavirus test swab" height="1214" width="2429" msid="76591447" hostid="261"></div>The Trump tragedy continues...As <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> infections and hospitalizations go vertical again in Texas, Arizona, and other states, the magnitude of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-failed-coronavirus-response-reopening-exacerbated-first-wave-2020-6">Trump Administration's failure becomes ever more clear</a>. The US response to the coronavirus remains one of the worst in the world. Americans will be paying the price for this ineptitude for years. <div type="image" title="Screen Shot 2020 06 24 at 8.53.12 AM" height="942" width="1600" msid="76591457" hostid="261"></div>The economic recovery in hard-hit states like Texas <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2020-06-24/five-things-you-need-to-know-to-start-your-day">appears to be stumbling</a>. (As we explained back in May, it's not actually "lockdowns" that hurt the economy — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reopening-will-not-fix-economy-public-health-response-needed-2020-5">it's the coronavirus</a>. Our economy won't fully recover until we get the virus under control.) Hospitals are filling up again. Deaths will likely follow. Governors from states that are doing well are <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisJansing/status/1275816737783582721?s=20">restricting travel from states that aren't</a>. The EU is considering banning travelers from the US. Texas is again asking residents to stay home. <div type="image" title="Screen Shot 2020 06 24 at 7.50.32 AM" height="919" width="1600" msid="76591465" hostid="261"></div>In short, having learned little from New York, Italy, Spain, and other former hot spots, many US states appear to be on track to repeat the hell that these areas went through earlier this year.Meanwhile, President Trump continues to pretend the coronavirus no longer exists. Worse, he continues to put thousands of people's health and lives at risks by packing them into crowded indoor spaces for hours in places in which coronavirus infections are skyrocketing again. Most galling of all, Trump and the federal government have stopped even trying. Even now, there's much they could do to help the US get its pandemic under control. Universal and repeated guidance to wear masks in crowded indoor places. Funding a national testing, contract-tracing, and isolation system. Ordering the manufacturing of additional personal protection equipment. If all this had been done this winter and spring, the US would now be following Asia and Europe's encouraging recovery trajectory. But it would still help now. Instead, all we get from Trump is bragging, incompetence, and denial. — HBOn a positive note, the protests did not increase infections — outside events seem okDespite widespread fears, the Black Lives Matter protests did not lead to increased coronavirus infections, <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w27408.pdf">a new study concludes</a>. This is yet more evidence that outside activities — even those that are crowded, with shouting — are not particularly risky. — HBNY incumbents and the end of definitive election night results<div type="image" title="Jamaal Bowman" height="1000" width="2000" msid="76591473" hostid="261"></div>New York held its primary elections yesterday and it proved to be a long night for some long-time Democratic members of Congress. Things were grim Rep. Eliot Engel, a centrist foreign policy <a href="https://theintercept.com/2020/05/26/eliot-engel-primary-defense-industry-pro-israel/">hawk</a> and 32-year veteran of Congress, who lost to his <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dem-rep-accuses-aoc-of-being-a-dictator-because-she-backed-his-opponent-2020-6">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez-backed opponent</a> Jamaal Bowman. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who since 1993 has represented parts of Manhattan and Queens, holds a less than two percentage point lead over the progressive challenger <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-9-15-16-17-27-congressional-elections-live-results-2020-6">Suraj Patel</a> as of Wednesday morning. A slew of absentee ballots are still outstanding. We may not know for a week or more whether last night provided evidence that deep-blue New York is steadily getting even more progressive in its electoral representation, but even if Maloney survives, the Engel loss makes it clear that rubber-stamp reelection of Democratic incumbents is no longer assured in the Empire State. Another bellwether for the November elections is that in the age of COVID-19, there will be fewer polling places and substantially more absentee ballots. That will make anything other than a definitive landslide tough to call on election night. So if you've got election year fatigue already, steel yourself now for electoral college and congressional contests dragging on well into November. — AFIf you want to turn on President Trump, now is the moment to do it. If you have beans to spill about the Trump administration, spill them right now. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-niece-mary-tell-all-signed-nda-axios-2020-6">Niece Mary Trump seeks to spill</a>. Former National Security Advisor <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/john-bolton-book-most-explosive-claims-about-trump-2020-6">John Bolton spilled</a>. Deposed DOJ prosecutor <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/democrats-to-subpoena-william-barr/2020/06/23/2fd49260-b558-11ea-a510-55bf26485c93_story.html">Aaron Zelinsky spills today</a>. Bounced Defense Secretary <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/06/james-mattis-denounces-trump-protests-militarization/612640/">Jim Mattis finally spilled</a>. If you're a disgruntled former of any sort — a former cabinet member for example, or secret service agent, or campaign aide, or golf buddy, or business partner — now is the moment to turn on President Trump. This is true whether you'd do it for selfish or noble reasons. If you're noble, now is the moment because it's still early enough to influence the election. If you're selfish, you can still grab the public's attention and dollars in a way that will be almost impossible later.Public attention to <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword> wanes in July and August (at least in normal years), and the campaign will consume all the oxygen in the fall. Only a truly monumental new Trump revelation would break through in October. The run-of-the-mill corruption/unfit-for-office/pathological narcissism stuff that's coming out now would be chaff in the weeks before the election. So if you have something to say, you've got 10 days till July 4 to say it. — DPTrade wars are back and stupider than ever now that Trump's pretending everything is normal.Trump paused his ongoing trade fights with allies around the world during the coronavirus pandemic. But now that he's pretending the crisis is over, despite rising cases in states across the US, he's gone back to talking tariffs.This week the Office of the US Trade Representative said it's considering slapping tariffs on Canadian aluminum again. The USTR also said it was considering putting duties on a variety of European goods from airplanes to beer and gin. These tariffs have been always been stupid policy. After the aluminum tariffs were put on in 2018 they only served to raise prices on inputs for goods like car parts, for example. Ultimately that hurt the economy more than they helped. But tariffs are even stupider policy now while the world is still recovering from the economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic. We have a demand crisis on our hands, and the last thing struggling manufacturers and consumers need is price inflation. — Linette LopezWaiting, waiting, waiting for the monumentally important SCOTUS Louisiana abortion decision.<div type="image" title="abortion supreme court pro choice" height="1000" width="2000" msid="76591484" hostid="261"></div>On Thursday or next week, the Supreme Court will rule in the final major case of its term, <a href="https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/503645-all-eyes-on-roberts-ahead-of-supreme-courts-abortion-ruling">June Medical Services v Russo</a>, which concerns a Louisiana law that requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges in nearby hospitals. This restriction would likely force every abortion clinic in the state to close because hospitals won't grant the privileges. The Louisiana law follows the recent, successful trend in pro-life activism, which seeks not to directly ban abortion, but place so many restrictions on it that it's effectively quashed. If the case sounds familiar, that's because it is. In 2016 SCOTUS decided a case about a virtually identical Texas law. In that case five justices including Anthony Kennedy threw out the admitting privileges restriction, ruling it an "undue burden" on women seeking abortion — and also one that did nothing to increase the health or safety of patients. But the court may reverse the decision it made practically yesterday, as Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch are expected to join the other conservative justices in upholding the Louisiana law. There are no new facts and no new constitutional amendment since the Texas ruling. All that has changed is that President Trump and Senate Republicans put Gorsuch instead of Merrick Garland in Scalia's empty seat, and chose Kavanaugh to succeed Anthony Kennedy.Most evidence suggests Kavanaugh stands far to the right of Kennedy on abortion, which is why most court watchers expect SCOTUS to reverse its 2016 ruling. Pro-choice lawyers see only one real hope, which is that Chief Justice Roberts, who voted to uphold Texas's restrictions in 2016, could change sides in order to show respect for SCOTUS precedent. But if the court rules in favor of the Louisiana law, similar "admitting privilege" restrictions will follow fast in red states, choking off the right to abortion in huge swathes of the country. Whatever you believe about abortion, this Louisiana case proves the titanic importance of the presidential election in shaping the country. — DPBaseball's coming back, but for how long? <keyword id="6507856" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="major-league-baseball">Major League Baseball</keyword> announced it's coming back in late July with a 60-game regular season — just over one-third the games that would be played in a normal 162-game season. Baseball had the chance to be the only game in town for months, but the owners and the players' union were at loggerheads <a href="https://theathletic.com/1806964/2020/05/11/mlb-revenue-sharing-plan-is-a-nonstarter-for-the-players-association/">over economic issues</a> and contingency plans in the case of a "second wave" of coronavirus outbreaks. Unable to come to terms, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred imposed the season on the players (at their request) based on a preliminary agreement between the owners and players reached in March, shortly after the pandemic's onset. Without a new agreement, the league has left itself vulnerable to any number of grievances which could be filed on behalf of the players that risk jeopardizing even a severely truncated season from being completed. While the billionaire owners have historically been able to sway public <keyword id="6356002" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="opinion">opinion</keyword> against the "greedy" millionaire players, it is the owners who have a history of <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2018/1/18/16882650/mlb-collusion-offseason-free-agency-explainer">illegally colluding against the players</a> to keep salaries down, and that's plenty good reason for the players to never take <a href="https://theathletic.co.uk/1874978/2020/06/15/schultz-mlb-owners-prove-they-dont-care-about-you-the-game-or-the-truth/">poverty-pleading ownership</a> at their word.But even with a season set to begin, all it will take is a single clubhouse attendant to test positive for COVID-19 and a single MLB player to cite "unsafe work conditions" as a reason for not showing up to work for a union grievance to be filed and a domino effect that shuts down the season, again. — AF<h2>LISTEN OF THE DAY</h2><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brought-to-you-by/id1413374332" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">"Brought to you by..."</a> is back with a new season of episodes about the brands you know and stories you don't. <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brought-to-you-by/id1413374332" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Today</a>, hear about how in 1969, Cleveland's Black residents fought for the right to own and operate the McDonald's restaurants in their community. Plus, host Charlie Herman <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-american-businesses-can-do-more-fight-racial-injustice-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">continued the conversation</a> with two Insider reporters, who discussed the role of corporations in combating racial and economic injustice.<h2>BUSINESS &amp; ECONOMY</h2><div type="image" title="Coronavirus New York store closed" height="1250" width="2500" msid="76591493" hostid="261"></div><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/job-loss-layoff-wave-us-economy-stimulus-ppp-runs-out-2020-6">Another massive wave of layoffs is about to hit the US.</a> As PPP money runs out in July, companies that are still struggling will start shedding workers. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/crossfit-sold-to-eric-roza-datalogix-takes-over-as-ceo-2020-6">CrossFit founder Greg Glassman is selling the company.</a> Glassman resigned as CEO two weeks ago amid outrage about his comments concerning the George Floyd protests. Gym owner Eric Roza, a former tech CEO, is buying it.<h2>LIFE</h2><div type="image" title="Bubba Wallace" height="512" width="1024" msid="76591501" hostid="261"></div><a href="https://www.insider.com/bubba-wallace-says-fbi-wrong-evidence-of-noose-in-garage-2020-6">Bubba Wallace insists "a straight-up noose" was found in his garage. </a>He says the FBI was wrong to conclude the noose was an innocent door-pull. <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-its-like-to-eat-restaurant-outdoor-dining-nyc-pandemic-2020-6">She had a sit-down dinner at a New York restaurant.</a> Insider's Rachel Askinasi ate her first restaurant meal of the pandemic. She was outside, and it felt pretty safe.<h2>THE BIG 3*</h2><div type="image" title="Ken Griffey Jr." height="600" width="1200" msid="76591508" hostid="261"></div><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-satellite-internet-user-terminal-ground-station-possible-pictures-2020-6"> Are these the ground devices that will connect to SpaceX's Starlink satellites?</a> A Reddit user snapped pictures of them with a long lens camera. The devices match Musk's descriptions of the antennae.<a href="https://www.insider.com/rules-and-laws-that-british-royals-are-allowed-to-break-2020-6">10 rules and laws the Royal Family can break. </a>The Queen cannot be arrested for a crime, for example. <a href="https://www.insider.com/ken-griffey-jr-yankees-documentary-comments-2020-6">Ken Griffey Jr. explains why he never signed with the Yankees.</a> They treated him badly when he was a kid, for starters. *The most popular stories on Insider today.

Trump's coronavirus tragedy is getting worse

<ul class="summary-list"><li>President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> has commuted the sentence of the former Republican strategist <keyword id="2492639" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Roger-Stone">Roger Stone</keyword>, the White House announced Friday.</li><li>In a statement, the White House said Stone was "a victim of the Russia Hoax that the Left and its allies in the media perpetuated for years in an attempt to undermine the Trump Presidency."</li><li>The president's move came after he and his allies complained for months that Stone and others were mistreated by prosecutors as part of the FBI's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.</li><li>A jury convicted Stone of seven felony counts last year: five counts of making false statements to the FBI and congressional investigators, one count of witness tampering, and one count of obstruction of justice.</li><li>Earlier this year, a federal judge sentenced Stone to 40 months in prison for his crimes, as well as a $20,000 fine, four years of probation after his prison term, and 250 hours of community service.</li></ul>President Donald Trump on Friday signed an "Executive Grant of Clemency" commuting the "unjust" sentence of the former Republican strategist Roger Stone, the White House said."Roger Stone is a victim of the Russia Hoax that the Left and its allies in the media perpetuated for years in an attempt to undermine the Trump Presidency," the statement said. "There was never any collusion between the Trump Campaign, or the Trump Administration, with Russia."A jury convicted Stone of seven felony counts in November, none of which included collusion or conspiracy. The former strategist was convicted of five counts of making false statements to the FBI and congressional investigators, one count of witness tampering, and one count of obstruction of justice.Earlier this year, a federal judge sentenced Stone to 40 months in prison for his crimes, as well as a $20,000 fine, four years of probation after his prison term, and 250 hours of community service.The White House's statement announcing the commutation of Stone's sentence went on to say that allegations of "collusion" were "never anything other than a fantasy of partisans unable to accept the result of the 2016 election. The collusion delusion spawned endless and farcical investigations, conducted at great taxpayer expense, looking for evidence that did not exist.""As it became clear that these witch hunts would never bear fruit, the Special Counsel's Office resorted to process-based charges leveled at high-profile people in an attempt to manufacture the false impression of criminality lurking below the surface," the statement continued. "These charges were the product of recklessness borne of frustration and malice."(Fact check: the FBI's Russia investigation began in July 2016, before Trump won the presidential election. It resulted in indictments against 34 individuals and three Russian entities on charges including but not limited to conspiracy, lying to the FBI, computer hacking, tax fraud, bank fraud, and illegal foreign lobbying. Some of those indicted or who pleaded guilty included Trump's former national security adviser, campaign chairman, deputy campaign chairman, and foreign policy aides.)Saturday morning, Trump reiterated the White House statement, <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1281927265589309441">tweeting</a>, "Roger Stone was targeted by an illegal Witch Hunt that never should have taken place."Trump, prior to granting Stone clemency Friday, repeatedly implied that he would show leniency to Stone before ultimately deciding to commute his sentence. And Friday's statement emphasized Stone's "outspoken" support of the president."Roger Stone is well known for his nearly 50 years of work as a consultant for high-profile Republican politicians, including President Ronald Reagan, Senator Bob Dole, and many others," the statement said. "He is also well known for his outspoken support for President Donald J. Trump and opposition to Hillary Clinton."In an interview with the talk radio host Howie Carr earlier this week, Trump complained about Stone's alleged mistreatment by prosecutors, saying he was "framed" and "treated horrible." He also praised Stone's character, saying the former strategist and self-described dirty trickster was a "good person.""He was treated so badly," the president added. When Carr told Trump that Stone was "praying" for a pardon before having to report to prison on July 14, Trump answered, "If you say he's praying, his prayer may be answered. Let's see what happens."It wasn't the first time the president hinted that he would grant Stone leniency. After US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson first announced Stone's sentence, Trump said he was "following this very closely" and that "Roger has a very good chance of exoneration, in my opinion."The charges against Stone were linked to his contacts with the radical pro-transparency group <keyword id="6409883" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="wikileaks">WikiLeaks</keyword> and subsequent efforts to suppress witness testimony.Stone's indictment from the former special counsel Robert Mueller's office contained a slew of details about his false statements to Congress about interactions involving WikiLeaks; his extensive communications with the far-right commentator Jerome Corsi and the radio host Randy Credico about WikiLeaks' document dumps in summer 2016; and his prolonged efforts to prevent Credico from testifying to Congress or turning over information to the FBI.Four career prosecutors involved in Stone's case initially recommended a sentence of seven to nine years based on federal sentencing guidelines. But after Trump excoriated the recommendation on Twitter, senior DOJ leadership made the unprecedented decision to publicly overrule te prosecutors and seek a more lenient sentence.The intervention prompted all four prosecutors to withdraw from the case or resign from the DOJ altogether. One of the prosecutors, Aaron Zelinsky, testified to Congress last month that DOJ leaders sought a weaker sentence for Stone at the direction of Attorney General William Barr because they were "afraid of the president."<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/barr-blasts-trumps-tweets-stone-case-impossible-job/story?id=68963276&amp;cid=social_twitter_wnt_wnt">Barr, meanwhile, told ABC News</a> after senior officials overrode the prosecutors that he had already decided to request a lighter sentence for Stone before Trump tweeted, but he said the president's constant public comments made it "impossible" for him to do his job.Still, the timing of the DOJ's announcement raised questions and rankled former officials who accused the attorney general of catering to the president's public demands and allowing Trump to weaponize the DOJ for political purposes.

You Searched For "aaron zelinsky" and got 8 results

LIVE: Republican congressman Louie Gohmert disrupts a witness' opening remarks because 'there are no rules about when you can make noise'

Sonam Sheth

Mueller prosecutor will testify that DOJ leaders sought a weaker sentence for Roger Stone because they were 'afraid of the president'

Sonam Sheth

DOJ began investigating a doctor promoting unproven COVID-19 treatments after a Roger Stone associate accidentally emailed a federal prosecutor instead of the doctor

Sonam Sheth

The prosecutors on Roger Stone's case withdrew en masse after senior DOJ officials publicly overruled them

Sonam Sheth

Pelosi says the House won't impeach AG Barr: 'Let's solve our problems by going to the polls and voting on Election Day'

Grace Panetta

Trump says Roger Stone's 'prayer' for a pardon 'may be answered' soon

Sonam Sheth

Trump's coronavirus tragedy is getting worse

Henry Blodget,David Plotz,Anthony L. Fisher,Linette Lopez

White House announces that Trump has commuted the 'unjust' prison sentence of former Republican strategist Roger Stone

Sonam Sheth