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Chalk one up for Truth, Justice and the Rule of Law ...
Trump-appointed judge upholds special counsel Mueller's authority
(CNN) — A federal district judge who was appointed by President Donald Trump has upheld Robert Mueller's appointment and constitutional authority in the special counsel's case against Russian social media propagandists.
Judge Dabney Friedrich, who serves at the trial-court level in DC federal court, said Concord Management and Consulting could not have its case tossed on constitutional grounds. The Russian company accused of backing a social media effort to sway voters against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton claimed Mueller didn't have power to bring the case because he was not appointment by the President and confirmed by Congress. Mueller was appointed under the authority of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who has broad power as the acting head of the Justice Department for the 2016 election probe.
"The appointment does not violate core separation-of-powers principles. Nor has the Special Counsel exceeded his authority under the appointment order by investigating and prosecuting Concord," Friedrich wrote in an opinion published Monday morning. She was one of the first judges Trump placed into a federal court position.
[...] Trump said in an early June tweet that Mueller's appointment was "totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL." Monday's ruling specifically rejected some of these arguments that Trump's lawyers have made on television.
Meanwhile the Oblivious One is crowing about his firing of Peter Strzok on Twitter — with his usual Apprentice cluelessness:
'Just fired Agent Strzok, formerly of the FBI, was in charge of the Crooked Hillary Clinton sham investigation. It was a total fraud on the American public and should be properly redone!' Trump wrote.
and then this:
'The list of bad players in the FBI & DOJ gets longer & longer,' the president continued. 'Based on the fact that Strzok was in charge of the Witch Hunt, will it be dropped?' Trump said, using his terminology for the Mueller probe.
Perhaps someone “smart” on his legal team — (is there anyone left?) — should clue him into the fact that Peter Strzok did not start this so-called “witch hunt” out of spite or vengeance (like something he would do).
No, the FBI Investigation was opened based on the drunken boasting of one of his very own advisers — long before people named Strzok or Steele, had ANYTHING to do with it!
Long before anyone knew there even was (or would be) “a Witch in the White House” ...
[...]
Trump adviser George Papadopoulos triggered investigation
The federal government started looking into Russian election involvement in July 2016 based on information from Papadopoulos. This was confirmed by Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee.
"The Papadopoulos information triggered the opening of an FBI counterintelligence investigation in late July 2016 by FBI agent Pete Strzok," the House Intelligence Committee’s GOP members wrote in a Feb. 2 memo.
House Intelligence Committee Republicans confirmed in an April report it was Papadopoulos who set the FBI investigation in motion. [...]
— www.politifact.com — July 23, 2018
By spitefully firing Strzok, Trump has not lessened his troubles. Quite the contrary, after the FBI Agent, who was cleared of “professional” wrong-doing, wins his wrongful termination suit — someone should find courage to tell Trump, that his spitefully firing of Peter Strzok — is just another Brick in the Wall of Obstruction that he’s been building. Since day one of his presidency rule of chaos.
A Wall that’s soon to come tumbling down. If the “Justice Hunters” have anything to say about it.
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