Senate Democrats unloaded on Attorney General William Barr Bill BarrBarr says Ginsburg 'leaves a towering legacy' Republicans call for DOJ to prosecute Netflix executives for releasing 'Cuties' Trump doesn't offer vote of confidence for FBI director MORE on Friday, accusing him and other top Justice Department officials of trying to "undermine the administration of justice" and urging him to resign.

The letter, spearheaded by Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenBiden's fiscal program: What is the likely market impact? Warren, Schumer introduce plan for next president to cancel ,000 in student debt The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - Don't expect a government check anytime soon MORE (D-Mass.), comes after the Department of Justice (DOJ) sparked a political firestorm when it recommended a lesser sentence for Trump associate Roger Stone Roger Jason StoneOur Constitution is under attack by Attorney General William Barr Justice IG investigating Stone sentencing: report Romney says Trump's protest tweets 'clearly intended to further inflame racial tensions' MORE, contradicting the federal prosecutors working on the case.

The senators said they were sending the letter to Barr to "express ... alarm and opposition to the unethical political intervention."

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“This is an extraordinary turn of events. It appears to show that you and other top DOJ officials intervened in a clearly political fashion to undermine the administration of justice at the President’s behest in order to protect a well-connected political ally who committed a ‘direct and brazen attack on the rule of law,'" the senators wrote.

They added that the reversal of the sentencing recommendation by DOJ leadership "is a clear violation of your duty to defend fair, impartial and equal justice for all Americans. As a result, we call on you to resign immediately."

In addition to Warren, Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Ed Markey Edward (Ed) John MarkeyDemocratic senator calls for eliminating filibuster, expanding Supreme Court if GOP fills vacancy McConnell says Trump nominee to replace Ginsburg will get Senate vote Massachusetts town clerk resigns after delays to primary vote count MORE (Mass.), Patty Murray Patricia (Patty) Lynn MurrayTrump health officials grilled over reports of politics in COVID-19 response CDC director pushes back on Caputo claim of 'resistance unit' at agency The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - Pence lauds Harris as 'experienced debater'; Trump, Biden diverge over debate prep MORE (Wash.), Jeff Merkley Jeffrey (Jeff) Alan MerkleyThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - Trump, Biden renew push for Latino support Sunday shows - Trump team defends coronavirus response Oregon senator says Trump's blame on 'forest management' for wildfires is 'just a big and devastating lie' MORE (Ore.), Chris Van Hollen Christopher (Chris) Van HollenMid-Atlantic states sue EPA over Chesapeake Bay pollution Trump payroll-tax deferral for federal workers sparks backlash Senators urge administration to make payroll tax deferral optional for federal workers MORE (Md.), Ron Wyden Ronald (Ron) Lee WydenGOP senator blocks Schumer resolution aimed at Biden probe as tensions run high Republican Senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal Hillicon Valley: TikTok, Oracle seek Trump's approval as clock winds down | Hackers arrested for allegedly defacing U.S. websites after death of Iranian general | 400K people register to vote on Snapchat MORE (Ore.) and Mazie Hirono Mazie Keiko HironoDemocrats unveil plan declaring racism a public health issue Overnight Defense: US, Russia trade blame over Syria incident | Pentagon calls out China's 'counterproductive' military exercises, missile test | Democrats press Esper on COVID-19 response Democrats press Esper on 'concerning' rise in Pentagon's COVID-19 cases MORE (Hawaii) and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersKenosha will be a good bellwether in 2020 Biden's fiscal program: What is the likely market impact? McConnell accuses Democrats of sowing division by 'downplaying progress' on election security MORE (Vt.) signed on to the letter to Barr. Both Warren and Sanders are running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

The Justice Department on Tuesday formally asked for "far less" than the original seven- to nine-year sentence recommendation for Stone made a day before by frontline federal prosecutors.



The U-turn, which came after President Trump Donald John TrumpObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE publicly criticized the initial sentence recommendation, led to four prosecutors withdrawing from the case.

Trump raised further questions about Barr's role in the decision when he praised the attorney general in a tweet for "taking charge" of the case.

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Barr, during an interview with ABC News that aired Thursday, said that he had already made a decision to ask for a lesser sentence before Trump's tweet criticizing the seven- to-nine-year recommendation.

"However, to have public statements and tweets made about the department ... make it impossible for me to do my job and to assure the courts and the prosecutors in the department that we're doing our work with integrity," he added.

Barr also said during the interview that he was not going to be influenced by anyone, including the president, but Democrats called that statement "simply not credible."

They added that the actions taken by the Justice Department on the Stone case "make a mockery of your responsibilities to seek equal justice under the law and reveal that you are unfit to head the DOJ."

In addition to sending the letter to Barr, Warren, Van Hollen, Hirono and Markey unveiled legislation on Friday that would prohibit "high-level" Justice Department officials appointed by Trump from participating in issues relating to the president, his family or campaign associates.

The legislation would block the Justice Department from using funding for an action that involved having a Senate-confirmed DOJ official or a U.S. attorney named by the attorney general take part in a matter that involved Trump, a family member or a current or former campaign official.

“This bill would use Congress’ spending authority to protect the rule of law and prevent a corrupt Attorney General from protecting the President’s buddies when they commit crimes to benefit the President," Warren said in a statement.