February 19th 2020

By Emily Singer

American Independent Foundation

Donald Trump is once again meddling in the criminal proceedings against his longtime political ally and former campaign adviser Roger Stone, this time demanding that the judge in Stone’s case grant him a new trial.

Trump made the demand on Twitter by quoting Fox News personality Andrew Napolitano, who said on “Fox & Friends” Tuesday morning that a juror on Stone’s case was allegedly biased against Trump.

Trump tweeted:

“Judge Jackson now has a request for a new trial based on the unambiguous & self outed bias of the foreperson of the jury, whose also a lawyer, by the way. ‘Madam foreperson, your a lawyer, you have a duty, an affirmative obligation, to reveal to us when we selected you…..

…..the existence of these tweets in which you were so harshly negative about the President & the people who support him. Don’t you think we wanted to know that before we put you on this jury.’ Pretty obvious he should (get a new trial). I think almost any judge in the Country…..

…..would order a new trial, I’m not so sure about Judge Jackson, I don’t know.”

Stone — who is set to be sentenced on Thursday for his seven-count conviction of witness tampering, obstruction of justice, and lying to Congress as part of the Russia investigation — asked for a new trial on Friday by alleging a juror was biased. The move followed Trump’s accusation the previous day that the forewoman of the jury in Stone’s case had “significant bias.”

However, this claim ignores that Stone and his defense attorneys had extensive opportunities to review the jurors for the trial and investigate their backgrounds.

Trump’s tweet is his latest attempt to help Stone avoid prison time.

Already, Trump tweeted that the nine-year sentence the prosecutors on the case recommended Stone receive is “unfair.” Immediately after Trump tweeted this, Attorney General William Barr intervened in the case to recommend a lighter sentence, causing the four top prosecutors on the case to resign in protest.

Barr claimed that Trump did not ask him to intervene, and said Trump’s tweets about the case made it “impossible” for Barr to appear impartial.

Ultimately, Judge Amy Berman Jackson will decide Trump’s fate. Judges like Jackson are appointed to lifetime positions to help them avoid feeling partisan pressure.

However, it’s unclear whether Trump’s public comments on the case will influence her decision.

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