Jury forewoman in the Roger Stone case defended federal prosecution team
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today expressed his support for Tomeka Hart, the jury forewoman in the case against President Trump’s friend Roger Stone. Stone was convicted in November on seven felony counts including obstructing a Congressional inquiry, lying to investigators under oath and trying to block the testimony of a witness whose account would have exposed his lies. Hart, who was Congressman Cohen’s Democratic Party Primary opponent in 2012, said prosecutors proved Stone’s guilt. The Department of Justice recently informed the Court that it was revising its recommended sentence for Stone after President Trump attacked the Department and prosecutors for their original recommendations. In response, the original prosecution team withdrew from the case.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
“Jury service is one of our most important civic responsibilities. Every juror swears to follow the evidence and is instructed on how to apply the law. I have enormous respect for Tomeka Hart and have seen her civic commitment first hand. The President’s attack on her is unfair, but typical of the way he goes after women of color who challenge him. Both the prosecution and defense knew she was a former Democratic congressional candidate. There is no reason to doubt her evaluation of the evidence or her commitment to justice. It is a disgrace for President Trump and his allies to question her honest service as a juror.”
