Ted Cruz fumes after senator calls Trump appointee in Flynn case ‘a cartoon of a fake judge’

The federal judge overseeing the case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn is being asked to give an explanation for declining to immediately dismiss the case against Flynn after the Justice Department moved to drop the matter. In response, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) slammed one of the judges on the circuit court panel making the request, accusing her of being biased in favor of President Trump.

"Where you see Neomi Rao, you can expect a lot of Trumpy dirt to follow," Whitehouse wrote. "She’s a cartoon of a fake judge. Watch this space."

That comment apparently got under the skin of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who called Whitehouse's words "shameful."

"Senate Dems, tired of threatening Supreme Court Justices, turn to the court of appeals for their partisan campaign of judicial intimidation," Cruz wrote.

According to POLITICO, the panel of judges say district court judge Emmet Sullivan "must respond within 10 days to a request by Flynn that the higher court force him to drop the case."

"The appeals court order is the latest twist in a remarkable series of events that have thrown the Flynn case into turmoil on the eve of his sentencing for pleading guilty to lying to the FBI," the report stated.