Justice Dept backs off stiff sentence recommendation for Roger Stone

The Justice Department is stepping back from a recommendation that Roger Stone, a longtime adviser to President Donald Trump, serve a stiff prison sentence following his conviction on charges of impeding congressional and FBI investigations into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

In an early-morning tweet Tuesday, Trump blasted federal prosecutors for urging a prison sentence of about seven to nine years for Stone, the veteran GOP political consultant and provocateur found guilty by a jury last year on seven felony counts brought by former special counsel Robert Mueller.

"This is a horrible and very unfair situation," Trump tweeted. "The real crimes were on the other side, as nothing happens to them. Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!"

A senior Justice Department official said Tuesday afternoon that department leaders were taken by surprise by the recommendation in the prosecution filing. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the decision to revise the submission was unrelated to Trump's tweet and took place Monday evening, prior to Trump sending the message.

"The department was shocked to see the sentencing recommendation in the Stone case last night," said the official. "That recommendation was not the recommendation that had been briefed to the department. The department found the recommendation to be extreme and excessive and grossly disproportionate to Stone’s offenses and the department will clarify its position in court later today."