Posted on 05/04/2018 9:00:17 AM PDT by Red Badger
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday sharply criticized Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s criminal case in Virginia against President Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and openly questioned whether Mueller exceeded his prosecutorial powers by bringing it.
“I don’t see what relationship this indictment has with anything the special counsel is authorized to investigate,” U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis in the Eastern District of Virginia said.
At tense hearing at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, the judge said Mueller should not have “unfettered power” in his Russia probe and that the charges against Manafort did not arise from the investigation into Moscow’s alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.
Manafort is facing charges in both Virginia and Washington. The Virginia case charges him with offenses including tax and bank fraud. The other case accuses him of conspiring to launder money and failing to register as a foreign agent when he lobbied for the pro-Russia Ukrainian government.
None of the charges relate, however, to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign or possible collusion with Russia. Trump has denied any collusion.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
I believe that this is the SWAMP (both the GOPE and the Demonrats) coming after Trump! He can NOT be successful, because it takes years of sucking butt in Congress or sucking at the Federal teat as a Governor before you can be any kind of successful President - ask any political pundit...they’ll tell you!
I think they were ALL in on it!
Mueller does not want this case to be transferred to a local US Attorney. If that happens, Mueller will lose his ability to leverage these charges in an effort to secure Manafort’s cooperation against the President. Even when a defendant has little to offer in exchange for leniency, the prospect of a long prison sentence sometimes “helps” the defendant to remember the prosecutor’s view of the case.
win one for the gipper
None. That is why this "special counsel" is a purely political venture. No special counsel should have ever been appointed, because a special counsel is appointed to investigate a crime that has been committed. This guy is looking for a crime. And, IMHO, he will make one up if he can't find one.
win one for the gipper
—
I’m thinking it’s almost like Reagan is reaching down a hand from Heaven to help Trump.
Ha Ha Ha. I bet ole Mulehead is wondering what the hell is going on here given he feels he is now the equal of Kaftka’s magistrate.
The reported crime? Why Her Thighness didn't win the election. That's the crime!
He’d better not take any hunting trips with Ruth Badger Ginsberg
Watch - the Special Counsel will voluntarily dismiss the indictment in Va. to avoid a decision. Then, they will either re-indict (to get a different judge next time) or just go with the D.C. action.
Doubt they will take the risk of this Judge throwing the whole thing out.
So clearly we have to divulge all details...
"He was walking home at 3 AM in the morning when he was overcome with anguish and depression and shot himself 5 times...in the back of the head, with one of those evil AR-15 rifles equipped with a bump stock"
It was a terrible accident, but these things happen Darlings...Signed, Felonia Von Pantsuit
It’s about time! Even a blind, dumb squirrel could figure out what’s been going on, yet except for a small number of brave congressmen, no one in DC has stepped up to call for an end to the coup attempt. But finally, at long last, we have a judge willing to step up. A glimmer of hope in the darkness.
Rush saying judge is noble to make comments but wouldn’t dare shut case down. Rush telling us not to get our hopes up...
The Fox News article comes across as pretty scathing. This judge is quite unimpressed with the investigation and flat out accuses the Mueller team of lying.
Of course.
As we all well know, judges in this country have no political biases./s
Rosenstein botched the Mueller appointment. Wrote "scope" memo months after the appointment to justify targeting of Manafort on non-Russia charges. The whole mess should be thrown out. Manafort would never have been charged but for his association with @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/5x8flQNqi9— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) May 4, 2018
This kind of thing is what Mueller was afraid of in EDVA and why he quickly empanelled a second grand jury across the river in more swamp-friendly DC where he is more likely to get a rubber stamp.
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Yep....this judge is my candidate for sainthood and an award for onbridled PATRIOTISM. The latest member of Mueller’s gang was undoubtably hired because denizens of DC could more readily identify with him compared to the Swamp white “patricians” currently on board.
The judge gave Mueller two weeks to produce Rosenstein’s underacted scope letter. Between now and then the Deep State will descend on Judge Ellis like a bat out of hell. I hope he holds.
Leftists are already smearing Judge Ellis by hijacking his Wikipedia page pic.twitter.com/rNECF46Bwm— Jack Posobiec🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) May 4, 2018
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