PROSECUTORS WITHDRAW FROM ROGER STONE TRIAL

Up.... president trump praised his attorney general this morning..

After the justice department rejected its own prosecutors' sentencing recommendati on for the president's longtime friend roger stone.

Natalie brand has the latest from the federal courthouse in washington where stone is expected to be sentenced next week.

(track #1)(roger stone file) four career prosecutors abruptly withdrew from roger stone's case after the justice department overruled their recommendati on for a seven to nine year prison sentence... in a memo tuesday, the doj said the sentence would not be appropriate or serve the interests of justice.

(sot potus) i thought the recommendation was ridiculous.

I thought the whole prosecution was ridiculous (track #2) the president said he did not ask the justice department to intervene& and doj officials say they made the unusual move because they were unhappy with the prosecutors' recommendati on in the case& not because of this tweet the president sent calling the original recommendati on horrible and a miscarriage of justice.

(sot scott fredericksen/ former federal prosecutor) is absolutely contrary to every rule the dept.

Of justice has ever followed.

(bridge natalie brand/cbs news, washington, dc)stoneãa longtime ally of president trum?

Was convicted in november on counts including lying to congress, obstruction and witness tampering, in a case stemming from the mueller investigation.

(track #3)tweeting wednesday morning, the president congratulate d attorney general william bar for quote "taking charge of a case that was totally out of control" and took a swipe at the prosecutorsãquestioning if they went rogue.

Some democratic lawmakers are calling for an investigation into the doj's actions.

(sot schumer) what is more stinking than the most powerful person in the country literally changing the rules to benefit a crony guilty of breaking the law?

(track #4)the department of justice says it still thinks stone deserves prison time when he is sentenced next week but it will defer to the judge to determine for how long.

Natalie brand, cbs news, washington, dc.