Congress erupts over FBI arrest of Wisconsin judge

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43. Maddow Blog-As FBI arrests judge in Wisconsin, AG Pam Bondi directs new threats at the judiciary

The Republican offensive against the judiciary has been unsubtle, but the Trump administration hadn’t arrested a sitting judge — until now.

As FBI arrests judge in Wisconsin, AG Pam Bondi directs new threats at the judiciary.
The Republican offensive against the judiciary has been unsubtle, but the Trump administration hadn’t arrested a sitting judge — until now.

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https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/fbi-arrests-judge-wisconsin-ag-pam-bondi-directs-new-threats-judiciary-rcna203061

The Republican offensive against the courts and judges in recent months has been as subtle as a sledgehammer. The Washington Post recently summarized, for example, that the White House has pushed forward with “delegitimizing” the independent judiciary, and there’s overwhelming evidence to bolster the point.....

But the Trump administration hadn’t gone so far as to actually arrest a sitting judge — until now. NBC News reported:

The FBI arrested a county judge in Milwaukee on Friday, alleging that she obstructed the detention of an undocumented immigrant who was wanted by federal authorities on an administrative immigration warrant by escorting the man and his defense attorney though a non-public jury door. The arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan marks a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, in line with its rhetoric about going after local and state authorities on immigration-related matters.

.....Shortly after Dugan was taken into custody, Kash Patel, Trump’s highly controversial FBI director, published a tweet that effectively spiked the football. “We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest,” he wrote in a missive that was deleted a short time later. “Thankfully our agents chased down the perp on foot and he’s been in custody since, but the Judge’s obstruction created increased danger to the public.”

Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin didn’t quite see it that way.

“In the United States, we have a system of checks and balances and separations of power for damn good reasons,” the senator said in a statement. “The president’s administration arresting a sitting judge is a gravely serious and drastic move, and it threatens to breach those very separations of power. Make no mistake, we do not have kings in this country, and we are a democracy governed by laws that everyone must abide by. By relentlessly attacking the judicial system, flouting court orders, and arresting a sitting judge, this president is putting those basic Democratic values that Wisconsinites hold dear on the line."
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3lnnprevixu2y

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“[Judges] are deranged, is all I can think of,” Bondi said during her 18th appearance on Fox this year. “I think some of these judges think that they are beyond and above the law, and they are not. And we’re sending a very strong message today: If you are harboring a fugitive, we don’t care who you are. ... We will come after you and we will prosecute you. We will find you.”.....

Through her legal counsel, Dugan issued a statement Friday afternoon that read, “Judge Hannah C. Dugan has committed herself to the rule of law and the principles of due process for her entire career as a lawyer and a judge. She has retained former United States Attorney Steven Biskupic to represent her. Judge Dugan will defend herself vigorously and looks forward to being exonerated. This will be the extent of any statements or interviews at this time.”