Sen. John Kennedy suggested President Trump should stop tweeting about the Department of Justice and, therefore, placing Attorney General William Barr in difficult situations.
The Louisiana Republican appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday to defend the president against allegations that he is attempting to subvert justice in the case of GOP operative Roger Stone. Kennedy said that the president’s tweets earlier this week on the DOJ’s case against Stone placed Barr in an “awkward spot” but were not illegal.
“Does the president have a right to tweet about a case? Of course. Just because you can sing, though, doesn’t mean you should sing,” he said, later adding, “This is a case where tweeting less would not cause brain damage.”
Stone was convicted on seven counts of obstruction, witness tampering, and lying to Congress in November. The DOJ announced on Tuesday that it would intervene in Stone’s case and suggest a softer sentence than the seven to nine years in prison first suggested by the DOJ prosecutors working the case. All four prosecutors resigned in protest after the announcement was made.
On Wednesday, Trump tweeted support for his attorney general, saying that Barr was “taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought.” He also tore into Stone’s initial sentencing recommendation in another tweet.
Congressional Democrats accused the president of using the Justice Department as a political tool to help his allies. California Rep. Eric Swalwell suggested that Democrats may consider impeaching Trump again over the Stone case.
Barr criticized Trump for tweeting, saying the president’s social media use makes “it impossible for me to do my job.” The White House has said that Trump is not bothered by Barr’s criticism.
