A federal judge in Washington has thrown out a civil lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman that sought to challenge the authority of the special counsel in the Russia investigation.

The decision was a blow to Paul Manafort's defense against special counsel Robert Mueller. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued the ruling.

Manafort's attorneys had initially asked Jackson to throw out all charges against Manafort, arguing that Mueller had exceeded his authority by bringing charges unrelated to Russian election interference.

They dropped the bulk of their challenge in recent weeks, asking Jackson to nullify a paragraph in Mueller's appointment order. They also asked Jackson to issue an order protecting Manafort from future prosecutions by Mueller. The Justice Department had moved for dismissal of the lawsuit.