Watch: White House reacts to pardon request for ex-Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby

The White House is noncommittal when asked about calls for President Joe Biden to pardon Marilyn Mosby, the former Baltimore City State’s attorney. During the White House press briefing on Friday, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told theGrio there’s a pardon application process for any federal pardons, which she said is up to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mosby faces 40 years behind bars when she is sentenced later this month. The former progressive prosecutor was convicted for lying on forms claiming hardship to withdraw money from her retirement to purchase a home.

Civil rights attorney and CNN analyst Bakari Sellers tells theGrio that the potential excessive sentence for Mosby is “political persecution” and “retribution.” Mosby notably charged six Baltimore police officers in the police-involved death of Freddie Gray in 2015. The White House signaled it does not want to tip the scales of justice by giving an answer to any potential or non-support of the pardon request.