Tempers Flare Between Prosecutor, Reed Smith Lawyers at Russia Hearing

The Legal Intelligencer ^ | 18 May 2018 | C. Ryan Barber

[Meet the New Boss]

Tensions escalated Wednesday between the special counsel’s office and the Reed Smith defense lawyers representing a Russian business charged with interfering in the 2016 presidential election, as the two sides disputed whether a recent phone conversation ended with an abrupt hang-up.

snip

Wednesday’s status hearing came two days after Dubelier and his co-counsel, Reed Smith partner Katherine Seikaly, filed a brief asking to review the legal instructions Mueller’s team gave to the grand jury that indicted Concord Management and Consulting.

But the request went further than that. The Reed Smith lawyers ridiculed the alleged crime as “make-believe” and derided the prosecution as having “absolutely nothing to do” with the special counsel’s core mandate of investigating coordination between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign.

In the court filing, the Reed Smith lawyers said the prosecutors’ reason for bringing the case “is obvious, and is political: to justify his own existence the special counsel has to indict a Russian—any Russian.”

snip

On Wednesday, Dubelier said he was agitated by language that grouped Concord Management and Consulting in with the other defendants in the case. He said the 13 Russian individuals were affiliated with another entity, the Internet Research Agency, and noted that Concord Management and Consulting is accused of funding the alleged conspiracy.

[Meet the New Boss]

Eric Dubelier informing the Court of expected motions to be filed: "We are going to challenge the authority of the Special Counsel generally. We are going to challenge the authority of the special counsel specifically with respect to his power to bring this case."

Finally.

Manafort's lawyers have done a poor job framing the issue and arguing before either Judge Ellis or Judge Berman Jackson. Hopefully the Reed Smith team will do a better job.

Do politically-unaccountable bureaucrats in the DOJ (I'm looking at you, Rosey) have the power unilaterally to take someone off the street and vest that person with the power to roam the country and with the same power as a US Attorney indict people for crimes in federal court?

Without having to comply with the constitutional and statutory requirements that a person with such power be appointed by the politically-accountable president and confirmed by the politically-accountable senate?

[Brilliant]

“Abrupt” hang up? As opposed to a slow, gradual one?

[Meet the New Boss]

So if Concord Management is guilty of a crime by funding dodgy Russian social media posts that were published during the election, is Hillary guilty of a crime by funding dodgy British dossier reports that were shopped around to the media and injected into the FBI during the election?

[Meet the New Boss]

Jeannie Rhee comes across in all this as Queen Snowflake.

[BenLurkin]

Lawyers. Unh. What are they good for?

Absolutely nuthin’

Say it again....

[browniexyz]

Jeannie Rhee aka THE HAMMER who smashed Hillary’s 13 devices....

[z3n]

So if Concord Management is guilty of a crime by funding dodgy Russian social media posts that were published during the election, is Hillary guilty of a crime by funding dodgy British dossier reports that were shopped around to the media and injected into the FBI during the election?

~~~~

You don’t understand. Everything that his happening in the special counsel probe is a shield for Clinton and everyone that was called upon to assist her dubious activities. This is defense by offense. The corrupt people at the top of some of the agencies in Washington became very very afraid when she lost the election. There is a hell of a lot of CYA going on, and if they have to use scorched earth powers against anyone and everyone, they will do it.

[Will88]

Can’t read behind the pay wall. Any news of whether Mueller and his gang ever produced the evidence used to charge Concord to Concord’s attorneys? (If such evidence exists.)

[vette6387]

“Abrupt” hang up? As opposed to a slow, gradual one?

I didn’t think there was any other kind. One second, you’re talking, the next you’re not! It’s always abrupt!

[z3n]

It’s not about not catching Hillary’s corruption. It’s not about not catching anyone’s corruption. It’s not about catching Trumps corruption. It’s about a people in the govt.bureaucracy in the most powerful non-elected positions realizing their asses were out in the wind after the election.

[rolling_stone]

....Do politically-unaccountable bureaucrats in the DOJ (I’m looking at you, Rosey) have the power unilaterally to take someone off the street and vest that person with the power to roam the country and with the same power as a US Attorney indict people for crimes in federal court?

Without having to comply with the constitutional and statutory requirements that a person with such power be appointed by the politically-accountable president and confirmed by the politically-accountable senate? ....

excellent synopsis, I impatiently await the decision of these important questions!

[vette6387]

“Everything that his happening in the special counsel probe is a shield for Clinton and everyone that was called upon to assist her dubious activities. This is defense by offense. The corrupt people at the top of some of the agencies in Washington became very very afraid when she lost the election. There is a hell of a lot of CYA going on, and if they have to use scorched earth powers against anyone and everyone, they will do it.”

That is why Sessions, if he can ever find his balls, needs to appoint a special prosecutor who will have specific instructions to investigate the DOJ and the FBI. But the sad fact of the matter is, Sessions is complicit in the coverup.

[Meet the New Boss]

Oh, this part is great:

So Rhee tells Dubelier they've got 2 terabytes of evidence as to these dodgy social media posts.

Dubelier asks, what language are they in?

Rhee says "Russian."

So Dubelier: Then how do you even know what's in it?

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

“Any news of whether Mueller and his gang ever produced the evidence used to charge Concord to Concord’s attorneys? (If such evidence exists.)”

IANAL, but I would estimate that if any such production is forthcoming, it’s a solid dozen court motions into the future.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

2 terabytes of data is a towering s**tload of 140-characters-at-a-time messages.

It’s a towering s**tload of 14,000-characters-at-a-time messages.

[Will88]

Lol, that’s complete nonsense if they are claiming that their ‘evidence’ exists in two terabytes of information written primarily in Russian, and it hasn’t been translated. Hopefully this will result in some serious legal jeopardy for Mueller and his gang of henchmen.

[pas]

The important thing is that it is 2 terabytes. The content does not matter.

[Will88]

, but I would estimate that if any such production is forthcoming, it’s a solid dozen court motions into the future.

When charges have been filed and the prosecutors can't, or won't produce the evidence, one would think the prosecutor would be in instant trouble with the judge. This is all pretty bizarre.

[trebb]

The more Mueller overreaches, the more push back will happen....

[timestax]

Lawyers. Unh. What are they good for? Absolutely nuthin’ Say it again....

again and again