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Reuters
WASHINGTON
A US judge expressed skepticism on Thursday as a lawyer for President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort sought to convince her to dismiss charges brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
During a hearing, US District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson questioned Manafort's attorney Kevin Downing and his reading of Department of Justice guidelines governing Mueller's investigation involving Russia and the 2016 US election. Manafort faces two indictments accusing him of conspiracy against the United States and other crimes, both stemming from Mueller's probe.
His legal team argued that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's order appointing Mueller was overly broad and violated Justice Department rules on the naming of special counsels, and that Mueller has overstepped his authority.
Jackson expressed doubts over their arguments that Mueller does not have jurisdiction regarding the charges that they said are unrelated to Russia or Moscow's potential coordination with the Trump campaign.
