JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/PAUL MANAFORT/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort was dealt a major loss on Tuesday [6-26-18] when a federal judge who had previously expressed some sympathy for Manafort refused to dismiss charges brought against him by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Judge T.S. Ellis in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruled that Mueller was properly appointed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in May 2017 and has the authority to prosecute Manafort…A spokesman for Manafort declined to comment on the ruling. Tuesday’s decision by Ellis marks the second time now that a federal judge has upheld Mueller’s prosecutorial power – a pattern that could have wide-ranging and important implications as he continues his investigation into whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia. Previously, Judge Amy Berman Jackson for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia also refused to dismiss charges against Manafort, after his lawyers sought to discredit Mueller’s probe by accusing Rosenstein of violating Justice Department rules governing the appointment of special counsels.”
-Sarah N. Lynch, “Ex-Trump campaign chief Manafort loses bid to dismiss Virginia charges,” Reuters, June 26, 2018 1:47 pm