Federal judge threatening Trump used to be major dem donor

The federal judge who suggested that Trump administration officials might face criminal contempt over the spending freeze on February 10 may have just had his motivations exposed.

The Daily Caller is reporting that John J. McConnell, Jr., chief judge of the U.S. district court in Rhode Island, is a democrat donor.

One of the things that Donald Trump has immediately cracked down on is frivolous spending in America's federal government.

From federal employee salaries to the aid we give to other countries, Donald Trump has promised to scrutinize it all and only move forward with what is best for the American people.

In response to the spending freeze implemented by the Trump administration, John J. McConnell, Jr. ordered Trump to "immediately restore frozen funding" because he thought officials violated his prior restraining order and suggested further opposition could result in criminal charges.

McConnell's flimsy argument cited a 1975 case that states, "Persons who make private determinations of the law and refuse to obey an order generally risk criminal contempt even if the order is ultimately ruled incorrect."

McConnell was a privately practicing attorney until 2009.

During that portion of his career, McConnell donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic campaigns and political action committees.

Federal Election Commission records indicate that McConnell donated over $8,000 to Democratic Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s 2006 senate campaign and pitched in on the 2008 presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama.

"The plain language of the TRO entered in this case prohibits all categorical pauses or freezes in obligations or disbursements based on the OMB Directive or based on the President’s 2025 Executive Orders," McConnell wrote in his order.

"The Defendants received notice of the TRO, the Order is clear and unambiguous, and there are no impediments to the Defendants’ compliance with the Order."

His order came after nearly two dozen Democratic state attorneys general sued over "an Office of Management and Budget memo directing agencies to pause payments for activities that might be implicated by recent executive orders, including orders on gender ideology and DEI."

As someone who wants Trump to abide by all judicial orders, I have to say that Trump probably welcomes a confrontation with this fatcat donor of Sheldon Whitehouse's who has celebrated and endorsed critical race theory and who got a surprisingly mediocre rating from ABA. (Links… https://t.co/eVEJPwyxZm

— Ed Whelan (@EdWhelanEPPC) February 10, 2025