A federal judge in Rhode Island is slamming the Trump administration for unfairly issuing a “public attack” on one of his colleagues that “put her in personal danger and undermined public faith in the federal courts.”

Background of the Case

The statement comes after a special counsel concluded that a Justice Department attorney made a serious ethical violation, but should not face formal disciplinary proceedings. Chief Judge John McConnell said that the special counsel found sufficient evidence to conclude that Kevin Bolan, a top lawyer in the Rhode Island US attorney’s office, hadn’t followed his obligation to be honest and transparent in court when he deliberately withheld information about a years-old homicide arrest warrant for an illegal immigrant.

Following the release of the illegal immigrant, ICE published a press release about the case that described the judge as an “activist Biden judge” who knowingly let free “a violent criminal illegal immigrant who is wanted for murder in the Dominican Republic.”

Consequences of the Attack

McConnell wrote that the false public statement by ICE put the judge in personal danger and undermined public faith in the federal courts. He said that without information about the homicide warrant, the judge’s decision to order the illegal immigrant to be released on bond was “appropriate,” but noted that the fact that the man has yet to be located by authorities so he can be re-detained underscored the ugliness of the situation.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.