In Major Blow to Mueller, Federal Judge Rebukes Mueller and DOJ For Falsely Claiming ‘Russian Bot Farm’ Linked to Russian Government

Dabney Friedrich, a Trump-appointed federal judge rebuked Robert Mueller and the DOJ for falsely suggesting the IRA (Internet Research Agency) and Concord Management and Company, the so-called Russian troll farms, were linked to the Russian government. 

Mueller’s core claim that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 US presidential election in a “sweeping and systemic” fashion revolves around his bogus claims that a Russian bot farm was linked to the Kremlin — a core claim that has never even been proven. 

Defense lawyers for Concord Management, the ‘Russian troll farm’ indicted by Mueller, filed a motion in April demanding the judge hold Robert Mueller and US Attorney General Bill Barr in criminal contempt for releasing the redacted special counsel report. 

Concord’s lawyers argued that Mueller’s report contained allegations against Concord Management & Co. that were not in the indictment. 

“The practical effect of the broadside by AG Barr and SC Mueller on Concord was to advise the world (including potential jurors) that the allegations in the indictment are true and that the defendants in this case were operating as part of a Russian-government led interference campaign expressly linked to the allegations in United States v. Netyksho,” Reed Smith partner Eric Dubelier said in the April filing. “This despite the fact that the indictment contains no such allegation.” 

Judge Friedrich responded to the contempt request last week in a 23-page opinion and rebuked the special counsel and DOJ for falsely suggesting Concord was tied to the Kremlin, a fact that has never been proven, nor was it in Mueller’s indictment — Mueller did however make this claim in his garbage 448-page report.

GO READ THE WHOLE THING.