BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday refused to recuse himself from the trial of mobster James “Whitey” Bulger, flatly rejecting a challenge to his impartiality by Bulger’s lawyers.

The defense argued in a motion filed last month that Bulger — who is awaiting trial for his alleged role in 19 murders — should not be prosecuted because he was promised immunity by a representative of the federal government for past or future crimes while he was a top-echelon FBI informant.

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