Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta defends brother after Trump tweet: ‘YOUR Justice Department closed the case’

Trump’s tweet was likely tied to the controversy surrounding the Department of Justice’s announcement that they would seek a more lenient sentence for Roger Stone, a longtime friend of Trump’s, after he was sentenced to seven to nine years in prison. Trump called Stone’s sentence a “miscarriage of justice” but denied that he told Barr to change the sentence.

Tony Podesta was reportedly offered immunity to testify against Paul Manafort after he was caught up in Robert Mueller’s investigation. Podesta had allegedly violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which was uncovered when Muller was looking into Manafort’s ties to Russia. Several people have questioned how Podesta managed to “vanish” without punishment.

In response to Trump’s tweet, John Podesta wrote, “What happened? YOUR Justice Department closed the case because, unlike your pal Roger Stone, my brother didn’t lie to Congress, intimidate a witness, and obstruct a federal investigation.”

Three of the prosecutors who worked on Mueller’s team removed themselves from the case when the department announced the shortened sentence for Stone, including two who resigned from the department completely. Stone’s sentence will be finalized on Feb. 20.

John Podesta unsuccessfully chaired Clinton’s 2016 campaign. He had not worked for his brother’s firm, the Podesta group, since the 1990s.