(10 Aug 2018) An associate of former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone allowed himself to be held in contempt of court Friday in a fresh attempt to challenge Robert Mueller's appointment as special counsel investigating possible Russian collusion during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The move spotlighted a growing focus by Mueller on Stone as another of his associates, a New York woman known as the "Manhattan Madam" for once running an upscale escort service, was expected to appear before a grand jury but had not yet done so as of Friday afternoon.
Paul Kamenar, the attorney for Stone associate Andrew Miller, argued that Mueller's appointment is unconstitutional, asserting that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein did not have the authority to appoint Mueller to lead the investigation, which President Donald Trump has sought to undermine by calling it a "witch hunt" and a "hoax."
Kamenar also said a prosecutor with powers as broad as Mueller's should be subject to Senate confirmation, like U.S. attorneys are.
"So our point is if the U.S. attorneys have to be approved by the United States Senate, so, too, should Mr. Mueller," Kamenar told reporters outside the courthouse.
Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel last year after Attorney General Jeff Sessions stepped aside from overseeing the Russia investigation.
Mueller appears to be putting a spotlight on Stone, a longtime informal adviser to Trump. Stone was mentioned, though not by name, in a sweeping indictment accusing 12 Russian military intelligence officers of hacking into the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, Trump's Democratic opponent, and the Democratic Party, and releasing tens of thousands of private communications in a sweeping conspiracy orchestrated by the Kremlin to meddle in the 2016 U.S. election.
Miller worked for Stone during Trump's campaign. Kamenar said his client planned to appeal the contempt ruling in hope that the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually hear the case.
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