Special counsel appointed to probe Trump DOJ lawyer accused of lying to judge

Federal judges in Rhode Island have appointed a special counsel to investigate a Justice Department lawyer, local U.S. Attorney civil division head Kevin Bolan, for lying to, and subsequently about, a judge in that district.

This follows extensive reporting that the administration withheld critical information about a potentially dangerous immigration detainee, to trick that judge into releasing him from custody — all so the Trump administration could attack the judge for it.

"Acting on advice from the Homeland Security Department, Bolan had withheld information from Judge Melissa R. DuBose that a detainee was wanted for homicide overseas," noted The New York Times, Mattathias Schwartz. "After DuBose ordered that the detainee, an undocumented immigrant, be released on bond, the department publicly attacked her as an 'activist Biden judge' for releasing someone 'wanted for murder,' the very information that they had instructed Bolan to hold back."

Per the report, "Bolan apologized, but DuBose said further inquiry was needed into possible violations of his duty of candor to the court."

The special counsel appointed to look into the matter is Niki Kukes, who, Schwartz noted, is "a law professor at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island and a former clerk of Justice Antonin Scalia."

This comes after extensive reporting about the Justice Department's pattern of making false statements in court and otherwise engaging in dishonesty with the public.

In another matter currently under investigation by a federal judge, Justice Department acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is accused of lying on Fox News about a critical piece of evidence that could decide the administration's financial fraud case against the Southern Poverty Law Center.