Trump-Appointed Judge Becomes Fourth to Uphold Mueller’s Authority to Prosecute Russia Investigation

District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich rejected an attempt to have special counsel Robert Mueller removed from the Russia investigation.

Attorneys for Russian oligarch-owned Concord Management and Consulting LLC, which has been indicted by Mueller, recently argued in court that the special counsel’s appointment is unconstitutional because he was not appointed by the president or attorney general.

But in a 41-page ruling released on Monday, Dabney rejected the defendant’s argument.

Point-by-point, Dabney dismantled Concord Management’s attack on Mueller. According to the judge, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein acted properly when he appointed Mueller because Attorney General Jeff Sessions had recused himself from the investigation.

The decision makes Dabney, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, the fourth judge to uphold Mueller’s appointment.

District Court Judges T.S. Elliot, Amy Berman Jackson and Beryl A. Howell have all previously rejected attempts to undermine Mueller’s investigative powers.

Read full decision the decision here.