Dec. 19 (UPI) — A federal appeals court on Tuesday ordered an unnamed company owned by a foreign country to comply with a grand jury subpoena possibly linked to Robert Mueller‘s investigation.
In a three-page ruling, appellate judges in the District of Columbia didn’t mention the link of the “Corporation” and “Country A” but Politico first reported in October the case involved Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether Donald Trump‘s campaign coordinated with Moscow.
The company argued it was immune from criminal proceedings under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and the subpoena would require the corporation to violate “Country A’s” domestic law. The 1977 law limits the ability of foreign nations to be sued in U.S. courts
Judges David Tatel, Thomas Griffith and Stephen Williams unanimously agreed with the district court that the act does not immunize the corporation from the subpoena. The company could seek a review of decision by the circuit’s full bench
On Friday, the D.C. circuit court heard arguments in a closed hearing. Media members were denied access to the fifth floor of the courthouse and staircases.
About 10 minutes after the court activity, CNN observed a Justice Department car pulling into the special counsel’s office building with two top Mueller attorneys.
An associate of longtime Trump ally Roger Stone, Andrew Miller, also is resisting a subpoena to testify before Mueller’s grand jury in D.C. by challenging Mueller’s authority. A separate three-judge panel is weighing the case.
