DC federal court chief judge: 'Public criticism or pressure is not a factor' after Trump ripped proposed sentence for Roger Stone

"The Judges of this Court base their sentencing decisions on careful consideration of the actual record in the case before them; the applicable sentencing guidelines and statutory factors; the submissions of the parties, the Probation Office and victims; and their own judgment and experience," said DC District Court Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell. "Public criticism or pressure is not a factor."

It's yet another instance of the federal court system asserting its independence in the wake of a furor stirred up by Trump. Chief Justice John Roberts has previously rebuked the President after he asserted that federal judges were politically biased against him, and other federal judges have also made public statements that their branch of the government is independent of the political mire that often grips the other two branches.

Howell is the chief judge of the court where Judge Amy Berman Jackson sits. Jackson is set to sentence Stone next Thursday.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.