DOJ watchdog probing Roger Stone sentencing changes

• Career prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky testified before Congress in June that prosecutors were under "heavy pressure from the highest levels of the Department of Justice" in the case.

The big picture: Trump congratulated Barr for "taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought." Barr has said he made "the right decision" in the case.

• But members of the legal community and over 1,100 former DOJ officials, who served Republican and Democratic administrations, joined Democrats in criticizing the action.
• Stone was released from prison in July after Trump commuted his 40-month prison sentence. He had been scheduled to report to prison that month.

What they're saying: Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec said in a statement to news outlets, "We welcome the review."

• Stephanie Logan, a spokesperson for DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, would only say to Politico, "Our general practice is to not confirm or deny the existence of any ongoing investigation."

Of note: Stone was the seventh person to be convicted and sentenced for crimes unearthed by former special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

Go deeper: Roger Stone says he plans to campaign for Trump