Short defends Trump’s tweets as a ‘very effective way’ to communicate with Americans

Marc Short said on Sunday President Trump’s tweets are an “effective” way for the president to communicate with American people, pushing back on comments from Attorney General William Barr, who said Trump’s tweets about the Justice Department make it “impossible” for him to do his job. 

“The president has been able to communicate directly with American people through social media,” Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence and former White House legislative affairs director, said on CNN’s “State on the Union,” adding that the American people “love” him for it.

“I think it is a very effective way for him to communicate with American people,” Short added. 

Barr’s comments, in an ABC News interview last week, followed Trump’s tweet calling a sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone a “horrible and very unfair situation.”

Top Department of Justice officials later sought to reduce the Stone sentencing, leading to the four prosecutors who recommended the original seven to nine years in prison resigning. 

Short on Sunday defended the sentencing reduction, repeating allegations of “bias inside Department of Justice” and saying Barr is “trying to correct” it.

He also said that Barr has “acted independently.” 

Trump has faced widespread criticism from Democrats from weighing in on the sentencing. 

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called it an abuse of power, and she and other Democrats have called on Barr to resign. 

Barr will appear before the House Judiciary Committee to answer questions on the situation in March.