February 11, 2020

It’s Another Tuesday Afternoon Massacre at the Department of Justice

Here’s our timeline for the day. At 1:48 am President Trump tweets his displeasure with the 7-9 year prison sentence that prosecutors are recommending for his pal Roger Stone:

11:40 am: Word leaks that DOJ plans to override its prosecutors and reduce their recommended sentence:

1:56 pm: DOJ spokesman says they had not even seen Trump’s tweet when they made this decision. It was solely because the sentence seemed excessive.

3:01 pm: One of the prosecutors withdraws from the case and resigns as Assistant US Attorney for Washington DC:

3:59 pm: Another prosecutor withdraws from the case and resigns from DOJ:

4:40 pm: Yet another prosecutor on the Stone team withdraws:

5:33 pm: The fourth and final member of the prosecution team is out:

The corruption just keeps rolling along. Stay tuned for more.

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This is how change happens.

One story at a time.

This investigative reporting takes time too. Months of research. Weeks of writing, editing, and fact checking—and putting together the photography, art, video, and audio that tell the stories in a new way, illuminating new perspectives and voices.

We can afford to take our time because we don’t report to oligarchs or corporations. We report to you, and for you.

And the stakes are high. Democracy is on the defense. We’ve been exposing corruption and scandal for five decades, and this is a pivotal moment in our country’s history. Will democracy prevail? We won’t wait for time to tell—independent journalism is essential for democracy, and we’ll keep doing our part to amplify the free press.

So, we’re asking: Will you join the fight? Mother Jones has been here for 50 years, and we need your support to fuel the future of investigative journalism. Mark our 50th anniversary with a gift of any amount.

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