JUST IN: Obama Appointed Judge Orders Trump Aide To Prison
George Papadopoulos, a former advisor in President Donald Trump’s campaign, has been ordered to prison by a federal judge who denied his plea for a stay.
The judge who ordered Papadopoulos to prison, Randolph Daniel Moss, was appointed by former President Obama.
Papadopoulos must surrender to agents on Monday to start his 14-day sentence for lying to FBI agents working on special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
U.S. District Court Judge Randy Moss said Papadopoulos’s legal arguments fell short of what was needed to justify delaying the sentence that was handed down in September, Politico reported.
Papadopoulos lawyers argued that the former Trump adviser should be granted a ‘modest stay’ until an appellate court rules in a separate case challenging the legality of Mueller’s appointment.
But Moss rejected that argument, which he called an “11th hour” request, writing in a 13-page ruling that even if the challenge to Mueller’s appointment was successful – and he doubted it would be – that would unlikely give Papadopoulos cause to undo his own conviction, according to The Washington Post.
Papadopoulos ‘has failed to demonstrate that the D.C. Circuit is likely to conclude that the appointment of the Special Counsel was unlawful – and, indeed, he has failed even to show that the appeal raises a ‘close question’ that ‘very well could be decided’ against the Special Counsel,’ Moss wrote.
Mueller’s team had opposed Papadopoulos’ request for a delay in his prison sentence, arguing he had waived his right to challenge Mueller’s appointment when he agreed to plead guilty.
They also argued his recent public arguments contradicted what he said at his sentencing trial in September, when he convinced Moss to less his jail sentence by telling the judge he was remorseful over his lies.
In recent weeks, Papadopoulos has said on Twitter he regretted his plea deal with Mueller’s team and had hired a new legal team in his quest to avoid jail time.
‘I NEVER flipped against the president. What I did do, however, is expose the corruption of this ‘investigation’ for the world to see. The legacy is what matters now, how history remembers these days. Silence during these critical days was never an option. All must be exposed,’ he wrote on Nov. 21.
Papadopoulos also has spun government conspiracy theories on his Twitter feed, accusing prosecutors of ‘entrapment’ in an international setup. ‘Biggest regret? Pleading guilty,’ he wrote earlier this month.
His wife Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos has been pressing President Trump to pardon her husband.
At his original sentencing Papadopoulos admitted to lying to the special counsel’s team and expressed remorse.
JUST IN: Judge has denied George Papadopoulos' request to continue his bail and delay when he starts his two-week prison sentence — he's due to report tomorrow https://t.co/tfWHG0p3Cx pic.twitter.com/c1XzL66ceP
— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) November 25, 2018
JUST IN: A federal judge rejects last-ditch efforts by one-time Donald Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos to avoid his looming prison term. https://t.co/jAZ7BqPZtK pic.twitter.com/oAL60JThgI
— ABC News (@ABC) November 25, 2018
Judge Randolph Moss has denied Papadopoulos’ requests to delay his surrender date, saying among other things that Papadopoulos’ claim that he “may bring a motion” based on new evidence is “unpersuasive.” He’s due to report to prison tomorrow for 2 weeks. https://t.co/O6LezddKoD pic.twitter.com/v7r7NQIqpn
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) November 25, 2018
A judge has rejected an effort by former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos to delay his two-week prison term and says Papadopoulos must surrender Monday as scheduled. https://t.co/YTsFEttDpu
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 25, 2018