On Friday, Judge Ellis mysteriously called for a delay in the Manafort trial after Mueller’s prosecutors once again complained about his harsh criticisms.
Mueller’s team of liberal hack lawyers are becoming increasingly frustrated with Judge Ellis to the point of being pushed to tears.
FOX News reported:
Judge T.S. Ellis III mysteriously delayed testimony Friday in the case of ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, pushing off the day’s proceedings for hours after prosecutors once again complained about his criticism of them.
It’s not clear if the delay is connected to the complaint filed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team.
But the postponement is significant, as prosecutors had been hoping to finish calling witnesses Friday — and Ellis has a reputation as a strickler for keeping trials moving.
In the Mueller team motion filed Friday morning, they accused the judge of unfairly criticizing them in court, saying it’s possible his recent comments could “confuse and mislead the jury.”
Mueller deputy Andrew Weissmann and other attorneys on the team specifically noted how Ellis made negative comments this week about their focus on a bank loan Manafort applied for but did not receive.
“You might want to spend time on a loan that was granted,” Ellis said in court Thursday.
The prosecutors, in Friday’s motion, asked Ellis to retract his comment, saying it “misrepresents the law regarding bank fraud conspiracy” and “improperly conveys the Court’s opinion of the facts, and is likely to confuse and mislead the jury.”
Ellis has not yet addressed motion in court.
Earlier this week, Mueller’s prosecutors filed a formal complaint against Judge T.S. Ellis claiming he violated protocol by ‘unfairly’ blasting the prosecutors over a witness.
In the formal complaint filed by Mueller’s team, they claim the judge’s action on Wednesday in regards to a witness left a negative impression on them.
Judge Ellis, a 78-year-old Reagan appointee scolded Mueller’s lawyers on Wednesday for allowing a witness from the IRS to remain in the courtroom while other witnesses took the stand and testified.
Witnesses aren’t supposed to hear other people’s testimonies, but Mueller’s team got permission from Judge Ellis last week during the opening argument from the prosecutors.
Judge Ellis conceded and told the court Thursday, “This robe doesn’t make me anything other than human,” after instructing the jury to forget what he had said to Mueller’s prosecutors about the IRS witness. “You’ve got to put that aside,” Politico reported.
The ‘truce’ between Judge Ellis and Mueller’s prosecutors didn’t last long as the Judge continued to blast Mueller’s prosecutors Thursday afternoon.
The Judge grew impatient with the prosecution after they wanted to introduce an exhibit containing dozens of pages of evidence–Judge Ellis said, “There might be some kind soul on the jury who thinks they need to leaf through all this stuff — and it isn’t true.”
Mueller’s prosecutors hoped to rest their case by Friday, however it is unclear if the delay will affect it.
Update: The Manafort trial resumed with no explanation from Judge Ellis.
Judge Ellis told Mueller’s prosecutor Greg Andres he may call his next witness to the stand at 2:22 PM ET.
Prosecutors called their next witness, Dennis Raico of Federal Savings Bank to the stand on Friday afternoon.
Dennis Raico is one of the five witnesses who was granted immunity by Judge Ellis.
