Rep. Jordan: 'No Politics' Involved in Roger Stone's Sentencing

The whole premise that Roger Stone was treated differently from any other defendant because of his close relationship with President Donald Trump is false and comes from an "Obama holdover," Rep. Jim Jordan said Wednesday while commenting on a whistleblower's claim that pressure was used to lessen his suggested sentence. 

"There is no politics here," the Ohio Republican said on Fox News' "Fox and Friends" about claims made by Aaron Zelinsky, a prosecutor in the case against Stone that improper political pressure was applied to reduce the Justice Department’s recommended sentence.

Zelinsky said in prepared testimony for a hearing Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee that what he had heard "repeatedly," was that Stone was "being treated differently from any other defendant because of his relationship to the president."

Jordan noted that the first recommendations were to sentence Stone to seven to nine years in prison, but the judge agreed with another memo that called for a sentence of three to four years. 

"[Attorney General] Bill Barr is trying to clean up the politics that existed in the Obama administration," said Jordan. "Never forget the Obama Justice Department that went after investigative journalists. It was the Obama Justice Department with Fast and Furious. It was the Obama administration in the last days of that administration. Thirty-eight people unmasked Michael Flynn's name 49 times."

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., have referred to Zelinsky and another Justice Department official, John Elias, as whistleblowers ahead of their testimony under subpoena at Wednesday's hearing. 

"Jerry Nadler has the gall to say there is politics in the Barr Justice Department and the Trump administration?" said Jordan. "You have got to be kidding me. Bill Barr is trying to clean up the mess that existed there before and thank goodness he is doing that."

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