Roger Stone’s legal team appeared to face strong challenges from federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson at a hearing on Thursday.
Stone, a political consultant who lives in Fort Lauderdale, is seeking to lessen criminal charges that include obstructing a Congressional inquiry, lying to Congress and asking a witness to lie.
CNN’s headline says the judge was “exasperated” at some of the legal arguments Stone’s legal team had against special counsel Robert Mueller.
Jackson apparently didn’t buy one argument that Mueller couldn’t bring the case and another argument that the constitution forbid investigating the president and his campaign, CNN reported.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Jackson reacted with skepticism about a range of requests from Stone’s Fort Lauderdale attorneys, Robert Buschel of Buschel Gibbons PA and Bruce Rogow of Rogo Law, who is also a founding professor of law at Nova Southeastern University.
At one point, Stone’s legal team tried to use a dissenting Supreme Court decision, which doesn’t carry legal weight.
The Wall Street Journal reported her reaction: “Is there any reason why as a district court judge that I’m supposed to apply the law of a dissent?” Judge Jackson asked, adding sarcastically: “I”m not writing a law-review article.”
Stone’s team may have better luck getting access to unredacted portions of the Mueller report that may deal with Stone, the news sources indicated. Prosecutors have tried to keep those under wraps, saying they would reveal strategy, but Jackson pressed prosecutors on what harm would occur if the information was shared.
Jackson will rule later on the requests by Stone’s legal team.
