WASHINGTON (CN) – A federal judge agreed to a small delay Tuesday in special counsel Robert Mueller’s case against a firm owned by one of Russia’s oligarchs.
Accused of having funded one of the Russian troll farms that supported the candidacy of President Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. election, Concord Management and Consulting LLC was set to face an Aug. 1 hearing on its motion to dismiss.
But prosecutor Ryan Dickey argued in a motion this morning that Aug. 3 would be a better day for the hearing since Concord is expected to file a lengthy reply brief, and the government in turn will need more time to respond.
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich granted the request Tuesday afternoon in a docket entry.
Represented by Reed Smith attorney Eric Dubelier, the oligarch-owned Concord focused its June 25 motion to dismiss on a claim that the Department of Justice regulations governing Mueller violate separation-of-powers principles.
The government’s response to the motion to dismiss is due on July 16, with Concord’s reply due July 30.
Mueller indicted Concord, along with two other Russian firms and 13 Russian individuals, on Feb. 16.
Concord is owned by Russian oligarch and Putin confidant Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is a co-defendant in the case but has not yet made an appearance.
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