Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 2-14-20

Political News
Pelosi Leads Democrats' Calls For DOJ Probe
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is leading calls for an investigation after the Department of Justice made a downgraded sentenc- ing recommendation for Pres- ident Trump's associate
Roger Stone.
"By tweet @realDonaldTrump
engaged in political interfer- ence in the sentencing of Roger Stone. It is outra- geous that DOJ has deeply damaged the rule of law by
withdrawing its recommenda- tion. Stepping down of prose- cutors should be commended & actions of DOJ should be in- vestigated."
Driving the news: All four prosecutors who tried Stone
in November withdrew from the case Tuesday afternoon after the DOJ intervened fol- lowing their recommendation that Stone serve 7–9 years in prison for crimes including ob- struction of justice, lying to Congress and witness tamper- ing.
• The DOJ acted hours after Trump tweeted that the orig- inal sentencing request was "disgraceful." "Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!" he added. The Justice Depart- ment said it made the decision before Trump's tweet.
• The Justice Department deferred to the court on sen- tencing but outlined in its memo why it felt the original sentence request was too harsh.
• It pointed to mitigating factors including Stone's "ad- vanced age, health, personal circumstances and lack of criminal history" and that the witness he was convicted of at- tempting to intimidate claims he "did not perceive a genuine threat."
What they're saying:
• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) posted a letter to Twitter Tues- day evening he sent to the DOJ inspector general, asking for a review of the reduced sentenc- ing recommendation.
• House Judiciary Commit- tee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) tweeted, "It appears that the President and the At- torney General have overruled career prosecutors in order to help Roger Stone, who lied under oath on the President’s behalf. ... the Committee will get to the bottom of this."
• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said in a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds a press conference on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), "I request that you immediately schedule a hearing for Attor- ney General William Barr to testify before the Senate Judi- ciary Committee so that the committee and the American people can understand the Justice Department's decision to overrule its career prosecu- tors in this case."
• Rep. Val Demings (D- Fla.), a member of the Intelli- gence and Judiciary Committees, tweeted, "The justice system must be totally independent from politics. The DOJ owes an immediate ex- planation for how this decision was made, what conversations occurred, and exactly who was involved. ... DOJ and the At- torney General need to explain this, immediately, and offer documentary proof to back it up."
• Sen. Richard Blumen- thal (D-Conn.) shared to Twitter a letter he sent Gra- ham, saying in his post that he's calling for hearings and an "investigation of political in- terference in Roger Stone's sentencing — repulsive disre- gard for the rule of law."
Tampa’s First Black Firefighter
Robert L. Tucker was the first African-American hired by the Tampa Fire Department. The native of Tampa and prod- uct of Dobyville School in Hyde Park, was hired in 1968.
Starting his career as a fire- fighter, he rose to Lieutenant as a Fire Inspector. He paved the way for many young Blacks.
Tucker served honorably in the U. S. Army in the early 60's. Once he completed his military duties, he worked in banking until he began his ca- reer with the Tampa Fire Dept. in 1968.
After his years with the Fire Dept., Robert was a com- munity activist, having grown up in the Hyde Park, Tampa. He was a volunteer with the
ROBERT L. TUCKER SEPT. 1942 – FEB. 2014
Foster Grandparents Program, where he was honored for his commitment to the children of West Tampa Boys and Girls Club.
He was the owner of B.A.A.D, a minority owned cor- poration offering various serv- ices to the City of Tampa. He was also a vendor of African American Bibles.
PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2020