This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A federal judge who ruled against President Donald Trump's announced freeze on federal spending has been found by a legal organization to be an executive of an organization that has taken millions of those federal dollars, meaning the judge, in his ruling, chose to stop a program that could reduce funding for an organization for which he's been a board member or executive for years.
The problem is for John McConnell, the Rhode Island judge who stopped Trump's temporary spending freeze, a move announced so that expenditures and handouts could be evaluated as part of Trump's agenda to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in the federal government.
Trump set up the executive Department of Government Efficiency and tasked Elon Musk with that chore to fulfill his campaign promise, which voters endorsed, to cut federal spending and eliminate those problems, even identifying individuals who may be taking advantage of the system.
The report is from America First Legal, which posted an extended series of statements on social media explaining its findings.
The report explains over the 18 Years McConnell has been on the board of Crossroads Rhode Island, that group has taken some $128 million in government funding.
"When Judge McConnell ruled against the Trump administration and required federal taxpayers to continue funding the state of Rhode Island, it seems that he also required continued funding for his pet 'non-profit,' Crossroads Rhode Island," the report said.
That organization has been getting funding from the state, through which federal dollars for various projects flow.
The report said McConnell previously was the chairman of the board of that group, and currently is listed as chair emeritus.
"In fact, Judge McConnell has appeared as a director on Crossroads' IRS Form 990 every year since he took the federal bench in 2013," the report said.
The AFL report explained, "It is common practice for the federal government to disburse money to the states, which then hand it out to NGOs like Crossroads Rhode Island. Here, Judge McConnell ordered taxpayer dollars to continue flowing to the states, including Rhode Island… USA Spending shows that in the past 15 years, 155 federal grants to Rhode Island state and local governments list Crossroads Rhode Island as a sub-awardee. In FY2023 alone, the organization's audit shows that more than $10 million in federal funding flowed through Rhode Island."
The social media thread also points out, "Federal law, 28 U.S.C. § 455, requires judges to disqualify themselves 'in any proceeding in which [their] impartiality might reasonably be questioned. The law further requires judges to disqualify themselves when they are a fiduciary or have any other interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding.'"
Directors of nonprofits have a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interests of the organization, under Rhode Island law, and, "Given the heightened public scrutiny of this case and the profound constitutional implications inherent in binding the actions of the president of the United States, the appearance of a conflict of interest is highly problematic, to say the least," the report said.
AFL said McConnell "must recuse himself immediately."
And a report at Clash Daily said, "The problem with judge-shopping to push your case through, there's always the chance that the judges you are counting on to push your agenda have their own skin in the game. That's the case with a judge who has offered very dubious rulings on whether Trump can suspend his USAID money. We've got a thread from America First Legal making the case online that Judge McConnell, the Rhode Island judge who put an end to Trump's spending freezes, ought never to have heard that case in the first place."
The report explained if Trump is successful freezing spending, that funding for McConnell's group also gets cut.
