Federal court swats Roger Stone associate's last-ditch attempt to invalidate the Mueller investigation

On Monday, the D.C. Court of Appeals rejected a request by a former associate of President Donald Trump's ex-campaign adviser Roger Stone to challenge special counsel Robert Mueller's appointment.

Andrew Miller, who refused to testify before Mueller's grand jury, argued in a lawsuit that Mueller's appointment, laid out by special counsel regulations, is unconstitutional because Mueller was not appointed by the president or confirmed by the Senate. The court implied that the matter is no longer relevant, given that Mueller's investigation is now concluded.

"Upon consideration of appellant's petition for panel rehearing, which contains a suggestion of mootness, filed April 15, 2019, it is ordered that the petition be denied," stated the court ruling.

Stone, who repeatedly bragged about having a backchannel to WikiLeaks during the 2016 presidential election, was indicted by Mueller's team on charges of obstruction, witness tampering, and false statements. His trial is scheduled to take place in November.