--- title: Bill Barr's Independence from Donald Trump Under Scrutiny description: The latest scandal to hit the Justice Department has renewed long-running questions about Bill Barr's independence from the President canonical: https://time.com/5782899/roger-stone-sentencing-attorney-general/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-02-12T21:57:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T19:35:13.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Bill Barr's Independence from Donald Trump Under Scrutiny og:description: The latest scandal to hit the Justice Department has renewed long-running questions about Bill Barr's independence from the President og:url: https://time.com/5782899/roger-stone-sentencing-attorney-general/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcc91f2eaeb4661aa/698a0a2f16d884abfcc37b94/GettyImages-1199936986.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Attorney General William Barr Makes Announcement On Cyber-Related Law Enforcement Action og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bill Barr's Independence from Donald Trump Under Scrutiny twitter:description: The latest scandal to hit the Justice Department has renewed long-running questions about Bill Barr's independence from the President twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcc91f2eaeb4661aa/698a0a2f16d884abfcc37b94/GettyImages-1199936986.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 02:52 video:published: 2020-02-12 section: politics topics: Roger Stone sentencing, Justice Department, Mueller investigation, Vindman departure, Trump phone call, transcripts, Schiff, military discipline genre: news interview, press Q&A tones: defensive, combative, confident, dismissive emotions: anger (high), defiance (high), confidence (medium), contempt (medium) sentiment: negative audience: political news readers, voters following the Trump administration, legal and justice observers, national security watchers people: Donald Trump, Roger Stone, Alexander Vindman, General Flynn, Adam Schiff, Mueller organizations: Justice Department, White House, military content_suitability: politics [00:00-02:52]; crime [00:00-01:12]; health controversy [02:43-02:52] transcript_source: automatic transcription transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Attorney General Bill Barr Says He Won't Be 'Bullied.' But Questions Remain About His Independence From Trump > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=6eeea9cb-85c4-44c7-8be1-8b492e37568a&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump Responds to Questions About Roger Stone [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Responds to Questions About Roger Stone](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kdEL41VM.m3u8) (2:52)  _Published 2020-02-12. President Donald Trump insisted Tuesday he did not speak to the Justice Department about lowering the amount of prison time it will seek for Roger Stone._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary President Trump is asked about the Justice Department's sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone and says he did not speak to the Justice Department about it, calling the recommendation ridiculous and a disgrace. He criticizes the Mueller team and discusses the departures of the Vindman twins, saying Alexander Vindman reported a false call and should be sent to a different location. He describes the July phone call as perfect and says the transcripts are accurate. The segment ends with him attacking Representative Schiff over the transcript. ## Key points - Trump says he did not speak to the Justice Department about the Roger Stone sentencing recommendation, though he says he could if he wanted to. (00:11) - Trump calls the Justice Department's recommendation ridiculous and says the whole prosecution was ridiculous. (00:20) - Trump calls the recommendation an insult to the country and a disgrace, saying the Justice Department should be ashamed. (00:56) - Trump says the Mueller people put everybody through hell and points to treatment of General Flynn. (00:44) - Trump says the phone call with the Ukrainian president was totally appropriate and calls it a perfect call. (01:35) - Trump says the call was two perfect calls, with no setup, and that the transcripts are totally accurate. (01:40) - Trump says Vindman reported a false call and avoided the chain of command and leaked, so he was sent to a different location. (02:05) - Asked whether Vindman should face disciplinary action, Trump says that is up to the military. (02:23) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:25] Trump on Roger Stone sentencing. Trump denies speaking to the Justice Department and calls the recommendation ridiculous. - [00:25 to 01:00] Criticism of Mueller team and recommendation. Trump says the prosecution was unfair and calls the recommendation a disgrace. - [01:00 to 01:12] Trump on Flynn and guilty parties. Trump claims people who committed major crimes are escaping consequences while others were pursued. - [01:12 to 01:35] Question about Anonymous. Trump declines to say whether he knows who Anonymous is and hints he would be surprised. - [01:35 to 02:21] Vindman departure and the phone call. Trump defends the phone call as perfect and says Vindman reported it falsely and was reassigned. - [02:21 to 02:52] Disciplinary question and attack on Schiff. Trump says discipline is up to the military and accuses Representative Schiff of making up his conversation. ## Key quotes - [00:11] President Trump: "No, I didn't speak to the Justice Department. I'd be able to do it if I wanted. I have the absolute right to do it." - [00:56] President Trump: "I think it was a disgraceful recommendation." - [01:35] President Trump: "What was said on the call was totally appropriate, and I call it a perfect call." - [02:05] President Trump: "And also when you look at Vindman, the person he reports to said horrible things." - [02:15] President Trump: "and so we send him on his way to a much different location and the military can handle him any way they want." - [02:43] President Trump: "He made up my conversation." ## Questions this video answers - Did President Trump ask the Justice Department to change the Roger Stone sentencing recommendation? [00:09] - Would President Trump consider commuting Roger Stone's sentence? [00:54] - Does President Trump know who Anonymous is? [01:12] - Why did Alexander Vindman leave the White House and was he reassigned? [01:35] - Should Vindman face disciplinary action? [02:21] ## Content suitability - politics [00:00-02:52]: Entire video centers on political figures, a criminal sentencing, and a presidential phone call controversy. - crime [00:00-01:12]: Discussion of criminal prosecution and sentencing of Roger Stone and claims about guilty parties who committed major crimes. - health controversy [02:43-02:52]: Reference to Schiff almost having a heart attack, a figurative remark rather than a health topic.  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Updated: Dec 12, 2023 7:35 PM UTCPublished: Feb 12, 2020 9:57 PM UTC For Attorney General William Barr, it was a congratulatory tweet from Donald J. Trump’s handle — not a critical one — that has thrown his office into disarray this week.  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Updated: Dec 12, 2023 7:35 PM UTCPublished: Feb 12, 2020 9:57 PM UTC Many a career in the Trump administration has imploded after a scathing missive from the president’s Twitter account. But for Attorney General William Barr, it was a congratulatory tweet from Donald J. Trump’s handle — not a critical one — that has thrown his office into disarray this week. “Congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought,” the President wrote on Wednesday, the day after the Justice Department overrode the recommendations of its own lawyers and lowered the amount of prison time it would seek for Trump ally Roger Stone. > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1227561237782855680) The four DOJ lawyers who prosecuted the case against Stone, a Trump confidante who was convicted of charges including witness tampering and lying to investigators in a case stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, had recommended an original sentence of up to nine years. Trump tweeted that their recommendation was “horrible and very unfair,” and within hours, DOJ leadership intervened and said they instead recommended three to four years, prompting the four lawyers to quit. The latest scandal to hit the Justice Department, amplified and exacerbated by Trump’s running commentary on social media, has renewed long-running questions about Barr’s independence from the President and the degree to which Trump’s views can influence decisions at DOJ. Although the Justice Department is nested within the executive branch, presidents and attorneys general have traditionally taken great pains to make sure there is no appearance of improper political influence over prosecutorial decisions. As President, Trump has often tested those limits, perhaps most visibly in openly pressuring and berating his previous attorney general Jeff Sessions over his recusal from the special counsel’s Russia investigation. When Barr was confirmed to the post in February 2019 to replace Sessions, many Democrats [hoped he would be a strong institutionalist](https://time.com/5560216/william-barr-trump-decision-next-steps/) who would resist Trump’s encroachment into DOJ business. But over the course of his first year on the job, Barr has instead emerged as a staunch defender of the President, making a series of decisions that have protected Trump at key moments in his presidency and eroded the appearance of political independence at the department. Barr spoke out about the controversy on Thursday, [telling ABC News](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/barr-blasts-trumps-tweets-stone-case-impossible-job/story?id=68963276) that he will not “be bullied or influenced by anybody” and that the President’s tweets “make it impossible for me to do my job.” “I’m going to do what I think is right,” Barr said. “I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.” Now Barr is being asked to testify to Congress about his actions. The House Judiciary Committee announced on Wednesday that Barr will appear the following month, writing in [a letter](https://judiciary.house.gov/uploadedfiles/2020-02-12%5Fltr%5Fto%5Fbarr.pdf) to the Attorney General that his “pattern of conduct in legal matters relating to the President… raises significant concerns,” including in the Stone sentencing. Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec [told the _Daily Beast_](https://www.thedailybeast.com/doj-overrides-grossly-disproportionate-sentencing-recommendation-for-trump-ally-roger-stone?ref=home) on Tuesday that the decision to override the sentencing recommendations was made Monday night, before Trump’s tweet. She said DOJ had not consulted with the White House about the decision, and Barr was unaware of Trump’s views before the department made its decision. She did not respond to request for comment on Wednesday. Whether or not Trump ever spoke directly to the department, Barr “should be insulating these prosecutors from the president,” says Peter Zeidenberg, a former federal prosecutor at the Justice Department. “He should be saying… notwithstanding the president’s personal feelings, these cases are all being handled in a professional manner, not based on the whims of the president.” “It really tarnishes the reputation of the department,” Zeidenberg says. Top Democrats including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have already called for investigations into the ordeal. And while Republicans have largely stayed quiet or defended the Justice Department processes, high-ranking Democratic officials from the past have also weighed in with dismay. “Do not underestimate the danger of this situation: the political appointees in the DOJ are involving themselves in an inappropriate way in cases involving political allies of the President,” Eric Holder, former attorney general under President Obama, tweeted. “This affects the rule of law and respect for it. Unprecedented.” > [](https://twitter.com/EricHolder/status/1227460927789969408) The House Judiciary Committee also asked Barr to testify about “the creation of a new ‘process'” in the Department of Justice, by which Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani “can feed the Department of Justice information, through you, about the President’s political rivals.” On Monday, Barr had acknowledged there was an “intake process” to evaluate information gathered by Giuliani from Ukrainian sources about former Vice President Joe Biden and his family, a matter that was central to the impeachment inquiry into Trump. But, Barr said, the Justice Department has an “obligation to have an open door to anybody who wishes to provide us information that they think is relevant.” Not everyone agrees. House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat from New York and one of the House’s impeachment managers in the Senate trial that ended last week, wrote a letter to Barr expressing “serious concern” about the process and writing, “Any official relationship between Mr. Giuliani and the Department raises serious questions about conflicts of interest—both for the Department, generally, and for you, specifically.” Previously, Barr has also said that he believes the FBI investigation into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia was based “on the thinnest of suspicions that… were insufficient to justify the steps taken,” and that he believes “spying” occurred on Trump’s campaign. When Mueller submitted his final report to Barr last year, Barr determined Trump had not obstructed justice, though Mueller had explicitly declined to reach that conclusion. In a [press conference](https://time.com/5573115/william-barr-mueller-report-press-conference/) in April 2019 about the report’s conclusion, Barr went further than the language in the report, echoing Trump’s own phrase in saying multiple times that there was “no collusion” between the Trump campaign and Russia. The meddling in the Stone sentencing is just the latest scandal to chip away at the Department of Justice’s painstakingly cultivated reputation for being apolitical, says Zeidenberg. “It’s just so easy to destroy it. You can have a thousand cases that are handled appropriately, and then you have this type of a fiasco, and you destroy all that work.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5782899/roger-stone-sentencing-attorney-general/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5782899/roger-stone-sentencing-attorney-general/"},"headline":"Attorney General Bill Barr Says He Won't Be 'Bullied.' 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