Judge Ellis ordered Mueller prosecutors to produce the UNREDACTED memo in 2 weeks. They balked and he replied, ‘I’m the judge!’

Finally, sanity. This judge is a hero merely for following the law. The left is lawless and out of control.

U.S. judge says Mueller should not have ‘unfettered power’ in Russia probe

By Sarah N. Lynch, Reuters, May 4, 2018:

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Reuters) – A federal judge said Special Counsel Robert Mueller should not have “unfettered power” in probing ties between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia, and accused Mueller of using criminal cases to pressure Trump’s allies to turn against him.

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At a tense hearing in a federal court in Virginia on Friday, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III sharply questioned whether Mueller exceeded his authority in filing tax and bank fraud charges against Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort.

Ellis said the indictment appeared to be a way for Mueller to leverage Manafort into providing information about Trump.

“The vernacular is to sing,” he said.

“You don’t really care about Mr. Manafort,” the judge said. “You really care about what information Mr. Manafort can give you to lead to Mr. Trump” and his eventual prosecution or impeachment.

“It’s unlikely you’re going to persuade me the special counsel has unfettered power to do whatever he wants,” Ellis, who was appointed by Republican President Ronald Reagan, said at a hearing on Manafort’s motion to dismiss the Virginia charges.

Manafort, who served as Trump’s campaign manager for five months, also faces federal charges in Washington, where he is accused of conspiring to launder money and failing to register as a foreign agent when he lobbied for the pro-Russia Ukrainian government.

Michael Dreeben, a deputy solicitor general working with Mueller, argued the special counsel’s investigative scope covered the activity in the indictment.

In an Aug. 2, 2017, memo, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein authorized Mueller to investigate whether Manafort “committed a crime or crimes arising out of payments he received from the Ukrainian government before and during the tenure of President Viktor Yanukovych.”

The former Ukrainian leader was removed from power and fled to Russia in February 2014, more than two years before Trump declared his candidacy for president.

“A WITCH HUNT”

Trump enthusiastically read the judge’s comments out loud to his audience during a speech to the National Rifle Association in Dallas, saying they echoed his longstanding views. He called Ellis “a very respected person.”

“I’ve been saying that for a long time. It’s a witch hunt,” he said of Mueller’s probe into his campaign’s ties to Russia and whether it colluded with Russians to interfere in the 2016 election.

He also distanced himself from Manafort, calling him a nice guy but saying “he worked for me for a very short period of time.”

The sharp tone of the judge’s comments could spell trouble for Mueller’s case against Manafort and put even greater pressure on Rosenstein to rein in the Russia investigation.

But several legal experts cautioned against reading too much into the comments.

“I think there are some judges that believe that in being evenhanded, they should give the winner a hard time, too,” said James Trusty, a former federal prosecutor now with the law firm Ifrah Law. “At the end of the day, it’s very dangerous to read the tea leaves from comments from the bench.”

Lisa Kern Griffin, a professor at Duke University School of Law and a former federal prosecutor, said it is unlikely Ellis will dismiss the charges against Manafort because bringing them was “almost certainly” within Mueller’s broad authority.

If Ellis dismissed the charges, they would likely be reinstated by an appeals court, Griffin said. “I think Judge Ellis may just be putting to the government through its paces,” she said. “That is not uncommon.”

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taxpayer22

5 years ago

Free Michael Flynn.. The nullification of this case can’t be far behind. Both cases are in essence inconsequential, lawfare for a politically motivated goal.

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Rocinante44

5 years ago

got to wonder if the judge will die in his bed with a tuxedo and shoes on and a pillow over his face like the last judge that got in the way of the democrats

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JWB

5 years ago

Greetings!
“The System”, any system, is only as “legitimate“ as are the custodians.
Regards

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TangoUniform2

5 years ago

Judge Ellis, being 77 years old, makes it quite obvious that this is not his first rodeo when dealing with over zealous attorneys. Calling Mueller on the carpet in this transparent manner is extremely important for the integrity of our judicial system. It’s time to put up or shut up.

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Mike Kevins

5 years ago

Reply to  TangoUniform2

Or, it is all a part of the Kabuki theater that is our government at this point. I am happy, but skeptical.

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Alleged-Comment

5 years ago

Any man in his right mind would have ended it already. There is nothing there, but plenty on your side, long face.

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Drew the Infidel

5 years ago

Trying to bring charges against a sitting President is not even constitutional. A president can only be removed one of three ways: if he or she dies, becomes incapable as defined by the 25th Amendment, or is removed by impeachment which requires a 2/3 majority vote in the Senate.

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Buck

5 years ago

I like hearing about judges who use the law and commo. Scence . Like a breath of fresh air. See the way things should be.

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every

5 years ago

There is a “secret” 4th branch of our government that has over 8,000 members and —–does whatever it wants. They make TONS of money, support each other in their takedown of our government and have been doing so for decades. They call themselves the “untouchables” and some members have said “no one can constrain us, not even the people”. They are obvious as they act like all the laws do not apply to them. They are lawless but untouchable. But that is slowly changing.

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