ປະທານາທິບໍດີສະຫະລັດທ່ານດໍໂນລ ທຣຳ ກ່າວວ່າ ທ່ານມີ “ສິດຕາມກົດໝາຍ” ທີ່ຈະແຊກແຊງຄະດີອາຍາຕ່າງໆ ຫຼັງຈາກລັດຖະມົນຕີກະຊວງຍຸຕິທຳ ທ່ານວິລລຽມ ບາ ໄດ້ຕ້ອງຕິທ່ານ ໃນການສົ່ງຂໍ້ຄວາມທາງທວິດເຕີ້ ກ່ຽວກັບບັນດາຄະດີຕ່າງໆຂອງກະຊວງຍຸຕິທຳ.
ການສົ່ງຂໍ້ຄວາມຂອງປະທານາທິບໍດີທຣຳ ໃນຕອນເຊົ້າວັນສຸກວານນີ້ ມີຂຶ້ນບໍ່ດົນ ຫຼັງຈາກທ່ານບາ ກ່າວຢູ່ໃນການໃຫ້ສຳພາດກັບໂທລະພາບ ABC ໃນວັນພະຫັດທີ່ຜ່ານມາວ່າ ປະທານາທິບໍດີທຣຳຂຽນຂໍ້ຄວາມລົງໃນທວີດເຕີ້ກ່ຽວກັບກະຊວງຍຸຕິທຳ ພວກພະນັກງານແລະຄະດີຕ່າງໆນັ້ນ “ເຮັດໃຫ້ເປັນໄປບໍ່ໄດ້ໃນການປະຕິບັດງານຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າ.” ນອກນັນ ທ່ານບາ ຍັງກ່າວວ່າ ທ່ານທຣຳ “ບໍ່ເຄີຍຂໍຮ້ອງທ່ານໃຫ້ເຮັດຫຍັງໝົດຢູ່ໃນການດຳເນີນຄະດີອາຍາ.”
ຢູ່ໃນການຕອບໂຕ້ນັ້ນ ທ່ານທຣຳ ໄດ້ອ້າງຄຳເວົ້າ ຂອງທ່ານບາ ແລະກ່າວວ່າ “ນີ້ບໍ່ໄດ້ໝາຍຄວາມວ່າ ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າບໍ່ມີ ໃນນາມປະທານາທິບໍດີ ສິດທິຕາມກົດໝາຍທີ່ຈະທຳດັ່ງກ່າວ ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າມີ ເທົ່າທີ່ຜ່ານມາ ແຕ່ບໍ່ໄດ້ເລືອກເຮັດ.”
ການໂຕ້ຕອບກັບໄປກັບມາ ລະຫວ່າງທ່ານທຣຳ ແລະເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ປະຕິບັດກົດໝາຍສູງສຸດຂອງທ່ານ ມີຂຶ້ນໃນທ້າຍອາທິດນີ້ ທີ່ໄດ້ພາໃຫ້ມີຄຳຖາມຕ່າງໆ ກ່ຽວກັບວ່າ ບົດບາດຂອງປະທານາທິບໍດີນັ້ນສາມາດມີຫຼາຍໄດ້ປານໃດ ຢູ່ໃນລະບົບກົດໝາຍສະຫະລັດ.
ໃນຕົ້ນອາທິດນີ້ ທ່ານທຣຳໄດ້ຕ້ອງຕິຜູ້ພິພາກສາ ຄະນະຕຸລາການ ແລະບັນດາໄອຍະການໃນຄະດີອາຍາຂອງທ່ານໂຣເຈີ ສໂຕນ ຜູ້ໄວ້ເນື້ອເຊື່ອໃຈມາເປັນເວລາດົນນານຂອງທ່ານ ໂດຍຕຳນິວ່າ ເຈັດປີຫາເກົ້າປີຂອງການລົງໂທດ ທີ່ໄດ້ສະເໜີໃຫ້ສຳລັບທ່ານສໂຕນນັ້ນ ແມ່ນ “ໜ້າຢ້ານ” ແລະ “ບໍ່ເປັນທຳ.”
ແຕ່ຫຼາຍຊົ່ວໂມງຕໍ່ມາ ກະຊວຍຸຕິທຳຂອງທ່ານບາ ໄດ້ປະຕິເສດບັນດາໄອຍະການຂອງຕົນ ແລະໄດ້ສະເໜີໃຫ້ສານຕັດສິນລົງໂທດສະຖານເບົາກວ່າເກົ່າໃຫ້ແກ່ທ່ານ ສໂຕນ ທີ່ຖືກພົບເຫັນວ່າ ມີຄວາມຜິດຍ້ອນຫຼອກລວງລັດຖະສະພາ, ຂັດຂວາງຂະບວນການຍຸຕິທຳ ແລະແຊກແຊງພະຍານໃນການສືບສວນກ່ຽວກັບການແຊກແຊງຂອງຣັດເຊຍຢູ່ໃນການເລືອກຕັ້ງ. ການຕັດສິນໃນດັ່ງກ່າວໄດ້ເຮັດໃຫ້ໄອຍະການສີ່ຄົນຢູ່ໃນຄະດີຂອງທ່ານສໂຕນ ພາກັນຖອນໂຕອອກຈາກຄະດີ ຮວມທັງອີກຜູນຶ່ງໄດ້ລາອອກຈາກກະຊວງພ້ອມ.
ທ່ານບາ ປະເຊີນໜ້າກັບການຕ້ອງຕິຢ່າງແຮງກ່ຽວກັບການຕັດສິນໃຈ ສ່ວນໃຫຍ່ແລ້ວເພາະວ່າ ໄດ້ເກີດຂຶ້ນໃນທັນທີ ຫຼັງຈາກການຕໍ່ວ່າຂອງປະທານາທິບໍດີທຣຳ ຢູ່ໃນການສົ່ງຂໍ້ຄວາມທາງທວິດເຕີ້ ແລະໄດ້ເຮັດໃຫ້ທ່ານບາ ອອກຖະແຫຼງການທີ່ບໍ່ຄ່ອຍມີເພື່ອຕອບໂຕ້ຕໍ່ປະທານາທິບໍດີ.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he has the "legal right" to intervene in criminal cases after his Attorney General William Barr criticized him for tweeting about Justice Department cases.
Trump's Friday morning tweet came shortly after Barr said in an interview with ABC News Thursday that Trump's tweets about the Justice Department, its people, and its cases "make it impossible for me to do my job." Barr also said Trump "has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case."
In his response, Trump quoted Barr's words and said, "This doesn't mean that I do not have, as President, the legal right to do so, I do, but I have so far chosen not to!"
The back-and-forth between Trump and his top law enforcement official comes at the end of a week that has raised questions about how much of a role the president can have on the U.S. legal system.
Earlier this week, Trump criticized the judge, jury and prosecutors in the criminal case of his longtime friend Roger Stone, complaining that the seven-to-nine year recommended sentence for Stone was "horrible" and "unfair."
Hours later, Barr's Justice Department overruled its own prosecutors and recommended a lighter prison sentence for Stone, convicted of lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstruction of justice in the Russian election meddling probe. The decision prompted four prosecutors in the Stone case to withdraw from the case, including one who resigned from the department.
Barr faced intense criticism for the decision, in large part because it came immediately after Trump's complaints on Twitter, and prompted Barr to issue a rare rebuke of the president.
"To have public statements and tweets about the department, about our people in the department...about cases pending in the department and about judges before whom we have cases make it impossible for me to do my job and to assure the courts and the prosecutors in the department that we're doing our work with integrity," Barr told ABC.
"I'm not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody, whether it's Congress, a newspaper editorial board, or the president," Barr added.
After the recommended sentence for Stone was cut, Trump tweeted his congratulations to Barr for "taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have been brought."
But Trump denied asking Barr to intervene.
The situation has brought into question the Justice Department's historic independence from any political influence. Democrats have called for an investigation into what prompted the recommendation of a lighter sentence for Stone. Barr is set to testify before a House committee next month.
Stone is a veteran political consultant who served as an adviser to a number of Republican presidential candidates going back to Richard Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign.
He is a close Trump ally and adviser. A jury convicted him in November on seven counts of lying to investigators, witness tampering, and obstruction stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to help Trump win the 2016 election.
Stone will be sentenced next week and it will be up to U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson to decide how long he should be in prison.
