While outlining instructions he intends to give the jury, Judge Matz, who was appointed by President Clinton, called Paul "a thoroughly discredited, corrupt individual."

"He's a con artist. The fact that he is, is already established," the Clinton appointee added, in quotes picked up by the New York Sun.

When it came to Mrs. Clinton, however, Judge Matz was more forgiving.

"This isn't a trial about Senator Clinton," he insisted. "Senator Clinton has no stake in this trial as a party or a principal."

Though both Paul and another key witness, celebrity fund-raiser Aaron Tonken, both say they told the former first lady about the campaign cash Rosen allegedly hid from federal regulators, Judge Matz insisted, "She's not in the loop in any direct way, and that's something the jury will be told."

Though Paul's record includes past convictions for stock fraud and cocaine possession, his charges against Rosen have survived numerous challenges by Rosen's legal team, headed by the Clintons' scandal lawyer, David Kendall.

His testimony is also backed by tape recordings made by Kennedy in-law Raymond Reggie, who agreed to an FBI request to wiretap subjects of their investigation into the August 2000 fund-raiser.

Matz was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by President Clinton in March 1998 on the recommendation of California Sen. Barbara Boxer, who argued at the time that Matz had "a deep commitment to justice."

Editor's note:
Your Success Depends on How You Speak – Find out the power of "Success Talk" – Click Here Now
Join the NYPD, LAPD – Click Here Now!
Dick Morris Reveals Hillary’s 2008 Plans – Click Here Now

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Sen. Hillary Clinton