Free Republic

US District Judge of the District Court for the District of Rhode Island, John McConnell, an Obama appointee, accused President Trump of violating his court order blocking his federal funding freeze. In January Judge McConnell temporarily blocked Trump’s freeze on federal funding in response to a request from 22 Democrat state attorneys general and DC. Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) previously put a temporary pause of agency grant, loan and other financial assistance programs. “The American people elected Donald J. Trump to be President of the United States and gave him a mandate to increase the impact of...

The federal judge who suggested Trump administration officials could face criminal contempt over the spending freeze on Monday is a Democrat donor... McConnell donated hundreds of thousands to Democratic campaigns and political action committees, including 2008 presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, according to Federal Election Commission records. He also donated over $8,000 to Democratic Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s 2006 senate campaign. McConnell volunteered as director of the Rhode Island branch of Planned Parenthood for four years, according to Roll Call.

Feb 10 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to fully comply with a previous order lifting its broad freeze on federal spending, after a group of 23 Democratic state attorneys general last week said that some funds remained frozen. U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, ruled that, opens new tab all funding must be restored at least until he can hold a hearing on the states' motion for a longer-term order. The Trump administration had told states that it believed the order did not apply to certain environmental and infrastructure spending, and...