Tea Party Patriots Action [TPPA] said in a Wednesday press release that it is filing a complaint against the judge who signed off on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) search warrant to raid former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
TPPA’s Honorary Chairman Jenny Beth Martin said the following:
“Judge [Bruce] Reinhart acted unethically in approving the warrant to search President Trump’s residence. Judge Reinhart is a Democrat who donated to former President Obama. The judge publicly denigrated former President Trump in social media posts. Just two months ago, he recused himself from a lawsuit involving President Trump in his suit against Hillary Clinton, citing a ‘conflict of interest.’ He has a history of ethical issues, most notably his conduct during the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and prosecution. He should be disciplined and removed as a federal magistrate. The entire episode involving the search of former President Trump’s home threatens the principle of ‘equal justice under law’ and the confidence of the American people in an unbiased judiciary.”
As reported by The Tennessee Star, Reinhart is a magistrate judge who himself was appointed to his position largely by federal district court judges who were appointed by former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
Magistrate judges are delegated tasks by federal circuit court judges.
“They have authority to issue warrants, conduct preliminary proceedings in criminal cases, such as initial appearances and arraignments, and hear cases involving petty offenses committed on federal lands,” according to the United States Courts website. “In most districts, magistrate judges handle pretrial motions and hearings in civil and criminal cases. While most civil cases are tried by district judges, magistrate judges may also preside over civil trials if all parties consent.”
In Reinhart’s case, he works under the umbrella of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and was appointed to an eight-year term in 2018.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jenny Beth Martin” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
