More than 2,000 former Justice Department employees sign letter demanding Bill Barr resign

More than 2,000 former prosecutors at the Justice Department have signed a petition calling on Attorney General Bill Barr to resign over ‘political interference’ in cases tied to President Trump.

In a public letter, 2,003 DOJ alumni said the attorney general should step down from his post due to his handling of the case with Roger Stone, a longtime friend of Donald Trump.

‘Each of us strongly condemns President Trump’s and Attorney General Barr’s interference in the fair administration of justice,’ the letter reads, and welcomes other former employees to join in signing the petition.

The disgruntled former employees also urged current department workers to report any unethical conduct they witnessed.

The letter is the latest in a crisis of confidence at DOJ after prosecutors recommended Stone received nine years in prison.

They specifically note the recent handling of the Roger Stone case, when Barr urged prosecutors to recommend a lesser sentence for the president’s longtime friend

DOJ prosecutors recommended that Stone received up to nine years in prison fro lying to Congress and obstruction of justice

But Trump tweeted that he would not ‘allow this miscarriage of justice!’

Stone was convicted of witness tampering and lying to Congress about his contacts with WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign, when he was an informal Trump advisor.

Democrats accuse it was part of a ‘coverup’ to protect Trump.

After Barr and other DOJ leaders intervened and pushed for a lesser sentence, four prosecutors quit the case.

And some criticized Barr for only intervening after the president publicly denounced the recommendation.

After Barr urged a reconsideration, the DOJ filed an updated sentencing memo suggesting Stone should receive less prison time.

Trump went on a Twitter rant over the decision, but Barr says his decision was not influenced by the president – and even admitted that the frequent tweeting makes it harder for him to do his job.

‘I’m not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody … whether it’s Congress, a newspaper editorial board, or the president,’ Barr said in an interview with ABC News.

Trump went on a Twitter rampage bashing the decision, and Barr said that did not affect his decision, but did admit Trump’s tweeting did get in the way of him doing his job 

‘I’m going to do what I think is right. And you know,’ he added, ‘I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.’

White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grishman said Trump wasn’t taking the interview comments to heart.

‘The president wasn’t bothered by the comments at all and he has the right, just like any American citizen, to publicly offer his opinions,’ Grisham said to Fox on Thursday.

Those who signed the letter calling for Barr to resign were gathered by Protect Democracy, a group that has been critical of Barr’s leadership at DOJ – and in particular of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.