All posts tagged "Leonard Leo"

President Donald Trump is being warned that he "chose the wrong targets" when he went after the powerful Federalist Society and its co-founder as part of his war on judges who refuse to bend to his will, according to a political science professor writing for MSNBC.

The Federalist Society and co-founder Leonard Leo helped Trump choose Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett during his first term.

But on Truth Social last week, Trump called Leo a “sleazebag” and “a bad person who, in his own way, probably hates America," while he blamed the Federalist Society for “the bad advice they gave me on numerous Judicial Nominations.”...

WASHINGTON – Republicans in Congress aren’t just doing all they can to impeach the Biden name – and possibly President Joe Biden himself – they’re also going to extraordinary lengths to protect two billionaire GOP megadonors who helped the party remake the Supreme Court in recent years.

For one, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) are trying to stymie Washington, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s investigation into Federalist Society co-chairman Leonard Leo.

Schwalb is looking into allegations that Leo is illegally profiting off non-profits. Jordan and Comer have responded by threatening to subpoena Schwalb. ...

The Supreme Court announced Monday it will adopt a code of ethics, the first in its history, as reports of undisclosed gifts from mega-rich backers plague Justice Clarence Thomas.

The 14-page code is signed by each of the justices on the Supreme Court.

"The absence of a Code ... has led in recent years to the misunderstanding that the Justices of this Court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules," an introductory statement reads. ...

A right-wing billionaire who paid for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's rides on private jet flights and luxury vacations was not subpoenaed as expected Thursday because of Senate Judiciary committee "scheduling issues," Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced.

This vague response was reiterated more bluntly by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who told Punchbowl News reporter Andrew Desiderio: “We just got jammed with too many bad-faith amendments all at once."

Committee Democrats were slated to subpoena Harlan Crow, the Republican mega-donor whose gifts and dealings Thomas failed to disclose, and Leonard Leo, the Federalist Society leader facing scrutiny for a lavish lifestyle and a $43 million dark money transfer. ...

The man who allegedly subjected Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to a $1.8 million propaganda and flattery campaign will not be cooperating in a tax probe, according to news reports.

Raw Story reported earlier this year that conservative legal activist Leonard Leo coordinated a public relations campaign celebrating Thomas, and that the years-long project cost at least $1.8 million and included advertising intended to boost flattering content in online searches.

Now, Politico reports, Leo has said he is not cooperating "with an investigation by Washington D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb for potentially misusing nonprofit tax laws for personal enrichment." The outlet cited confirmation from an attorney for Leo....