To the Editor:

Re “Trump Adviser Sentenced to 40 Months” (front page, Feb. 21) and “1,100 Ex-Federal Lawyers Press for Barr to Step Down” (news article, Feb. 17):

The truth does still matter. That was Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s refrain in handing down a 40-month prison sentence to Roger Stone, President Trump’s longtime friend and self-proclaimed “dirty trickster” who was convicted of lying to Congress and witness tampering.

As one of the (now) over 2,500 former Department of Justice lawyers and officials who called for Attorney General William Barr to resign, I applaud Judge Jackson’s eminently fair sentence. My only regret is that the judge didn’t call Mr. Barr to testify under oath regarding his role in how the second Justice Department recommendation for a lighter sentence came about.

Judge Jackson is a straight shooter with a deep moral core. She gave Roger Stone the tongue-lashing he deserved, and in doing so she reminded us that truth still matters. A judge with a moral core. We could use more of them.

Elizabeth Langer

New York

To the Editor:

What’s wrong with this picture? On Friday’s front page is a photo with the caption: “Roger J. Stone Jr., convicted of lying to protect the president, arriving for his sentencing Thursday.” Mr. Stone and his companion are smiling. Who smiles on the way to a sentencing? What does he know that we don’t know?