Asian American att'y a casualty of Trump interference in Roger Stone sentencing

Former US Attorney Jessie Liu was a Donald Trump appointee.

An Asian American attorney's nomination to a top position in the Treasury Department was withdrawn by Donald Trump.

Former US attorney Jessie Liu for the District of Columbia, who was appointed by Donald Trump, was all set to be grilled by the Senate for her nomination for the Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes, a top position overseeing economic sanctions, according to two sources with direct knowledge when she was suddenly and unexpectedly informed Tuesday that the nomination was dropped.

It is not clear if her nomination was linked to the sentencing of Trump advisor Roger Stone.

Trump associate Stone, was found guilty for lying to Congress and witness tampering during the Russia investigation, according to a new court filing.

"Roger Stone obstructed Congress' investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, lied under oath, and tampered with a witness. And when his crimes were revealed by the indictment in this case, he displayed contempt for this Court and the rule of law. For that, he should be punished in accord with the advisory Guidelines," prosecutors wrote on Monday.

At the time of the trial, Liu was the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Axios notes that Liu had been expected to stay in her position leading the DC US attorney's office until she was confirmed in the Treasury role, but she was informed last month that Attorney General William Barr was replacing her with his associate Timothy Shea. 

Shea‘s name appeared on Monday's initial filing stating the sentencing recommendation of up to nine years. Those recommendations are usually written by the line prosecutors on the case, all four of whom resigned Tuesday.

Early Tuesday morning, Trump tweeted that he thought the sentence to be too harsh. "This is a horrible and very unfair situation," Trump wrote. "The real crimes were on the other side, as nothing happens to them. Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!"

Later in the day, the DOJ headed by US Attorney General William Barr, a Trump appointee, revised the recommendation urging for a more lenient sentence.

Tuesday afternoon, after the revised recommendation was made, all four prosecutors who worked on the case — Aaron S.J. Zelinsky, Jonathan Kravis, Adam Jed and Michael Marando— filed a motion to withdraw from the case. Zelinsky and Kravis both resigned from the D.C. U.S. attorney's office.

Barr's actions, prompted by Trump's tweets, is being interpreted as unprecedented interference in the judicial system, the third branch of the government.

"This signals to me that there has been a political infestation," NBC News legal analyst Chuck Rosenberg, a former U.S. attorney in Virginia, said on MSNBC. "And that is the single most dangerous thing that you can do to the Department of Justice."

US District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who, will announce the sentence next week, is an appointee of President Obama. She was also attacked by Trump by Twitter.

As the US attorney in charge of the D.C. office, Liu also oversaw prosecution of Paul Manafort, another Trump associates.

Liu was due to appear before the Senate Banking Committee for a confirmation hearing Thursday.

The Washington Post says its sources contend Trump decided to withdraw Liu's nomination because he was worried she would be asked about the Stone case during her confirmation hearing.

Jessie Kong Liu nominated for the DOJ's 3rd highest post

Donald Trump has picked Jessie Kong Liu, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, for the role of associate attorney general, the White House announced Tuesday.

The White House released this information:

Ms. Liu currently serves as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, the Nation’s largest United States Attorney’s Office. As United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, she leads more than 300 prosecutors and, among other achievements, implemented the Department of Justice’s pilot initiative on sexual harassment in public housing. Previously, 

Ms. Liu served in various positions across the Government, including in the Civil Rights and National Security Divisions at the Department of Justice, as well as Deputy General Counsel for the Department of the Treasury. She also served as a law partner at Morrison & Foerster and Jenner & Block. Ms. Liu clerked for then-Chief Judge Carolyn Dineen King of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Houston, Texas, and received her A.B., summa cum laude, from Harvard University in 1995 and J.D. from Yale Law School in 1998.

The job she has been nominated for is the No. 3 position at the Justice Department. The position has gone unfilled for over a year since former associate attorney general Rachel Brand’s unexpected departure. 

“With her record of public service, particularly in civil justice and federal law enforcement matters, it is clear that she will be an outstanding addition to our leadership team at the Department,” said U.S. Attorney General William Barr in a statement.

Liu, 46, was nominated by Trump in 2017 to head the U.S. attorney’s office where  she handled criminal cases, including those involving some of Trump's associates who have been implicated in some of the events surrounding Mueller's Russia probe. Among those cases are those proceedings against Trump advisor Roger Stone and and alleged Russian agent Irina Butina.

By moving to the DOJ, she will be leaving those cases behind allowing Trump to nominate someone to oversee those ongoing investigations and court proceedings.

As associate attorney general, Liu would primarily be responsible for overseeing the department’s civil litigation.

“Jessie has distinguished herself as a first-class attorney in private practice, in the Treasury Department, and in five different positions over her career at the Department of Justice,”  Barr said in a statement.

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