George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley warned Democrats on Fox Business Monday that their rush to defend a judge accused of aiding an illegal alien’s escape could backfire.
FBI agents arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan on Friday for allegedly obstructing federal immigration authorities. Dugan allegedly steered ICE agents away from an illegal immigrant who had just appeared before her in court on April 18 and then personally helped the individual slip out a back door. The arrest prompted Democrats to rally in protest and claim it was an attack on democratic principles and judicial independence. During an appearance on “Kudlow,” Turley said the Democrats’ outcry was unbelievable.
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“I think that what was really astonishing about this story is that within a very short time, Democratic leaders and commentators were coming out of the woodwork declaring her to be a hero without even confirming any of the facts,” Turley said.
Hume said that newly released details have only strengthened the government’s case against Dugan, revealing behavior he called blatantly “unlawful.”
“Now if the facts are confirmed and they released more facts today that seem to support the government’s position. You have a judge who got off the bench and engaged in an unlawful act. That’s what this is, and the question is ‘Where do you draw the line here?’ Could she have ordered court personnel to hide this individual? Could she have gotten [him to] go in her trunk and take him from the courthouse?” Turley said. “Where would you draw the line on the extent to which a judge can participate in the evasion of arrest of an individual of this kind? Those questions obviously are not being answered.”
Turley warned that defending Dugan risks setting a dangerous precedent.
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“You quickly end up on this slippery slope. What the judge did is not a judicial function. She could have held a hearing. She could have issued an order if this was in any way relevant to what she was doing, which it wasn’t. Instead, she came down from the bench and decided to take matters into her own hands,” Turley told host Larry Kudlow.
Earlier today, Turley said Dugan had crossed into “arguably criminal” behavior. He pointed out that a similar case in Massachusetts in 2019 resulted in charges, though the Biden administration ultimately dropped them.
A day before Dugan was arrested, federal officials took former New Mexico Democrat Judge Jose “Joel” Cano and his wife Nancy Cano into custody for their alleged involvement with an illegal migrant found on their property. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) told the Daily Caller News Foundation that Cano faces charges of “tampering with evidence,” while Nancy Cano was charged with “conspiracy to tamper with evidence” in an ongoing HSI-led criminal investigation.
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First published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
