By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com
The Justice Department is asking a federal judge in Mississippi to stop defense attorneys for an indicted FBI agent from alleging that the charges stem from a vendetta from the former U.S. Attorney, the Associated Press reported.
The agent, Hal Neilson, was indicted in January for allegedly failing to disclose his ownership of an Oxford, Miss. office which he headed up, and then lying about it. Trial is set for Nov. 8 in Aberdeen, Miss.
AP reports that the government in a motion asked that the judge bar Neilson from alleging that the indictment is the result of a vendetta by Jim Greenlee, who was U.S. attorney at the time the charges were filed.
Prosecutors argued Neilson should bring that claim up with the judge, not the jury, AP reported.
Neilson has alleged that the the U.S. Attorney came after him after he criticized investigations into nearly 150 north Mississippi residents of Middle Eastern origin and questioned a probe of a beef plant.
