Murkowski added while she didn’t “think the president should be determining what the sentences are,” she also didn’t expect that he would make the ultimate decision. Stone’s prison sentence will be decided by an Obama-appointed federal judge.





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"While it remains the position of the United States that a sentence of incarceration is warranted here, the government respectfully submits that the range of 87 to 108 months presented as the applicable advisory Guidelines range would not be appropriate or serve the interests of justice in this case," the department said.



The decision from DOJ leadership came after Trump had publicly criticized the initial seven-to-nine-year sentencing recommendation, calling it "very unfair."



“This is a horrible and very unfair situation. The real crimes were on the other side, as nothing happens to them. Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!” Trump tweeted Tuesday morning.



Trump said on Tuesday that he did not instruct the Justice Department to change its sentence, but that he could have and that he thought the initial recommendation was "ridiculous." "I don't think he should be commenting on cases in the system, I don't think that's appropriate," Graham told reporters.The Justice Department on Tuesday asked a federal court to sentence Stone to "far less" than seven to nine years in prison — the time frame federal prosecutors had recommended on Monday."While it remains the position of the United States that a sentence of incarceration is warranted here, the government respectfully submits that the range of 87 to 108 months presented as the applicable advisory Guidelines range would not be appropriate or serve the interests of justice in this case," the department said.The decision from DOJ leadership came after Trump had publicly criticized the initial seven-to-nine-year sentencing recommendation, calling it "very unfair."“This is a horrible and very unfair situation. The real crimes were on the other side, as nothing happens to them. Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!” Trump tweeted Tuesday morning.Trump said on Tuesday that he did not instruct the Justice Department to change its sentence, but that he could have and that he thought the initial recommendation was "ridiculous."