Team,
Last week, right before the Senate Judiciary Committee passed my Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act, yet another story about billionaire influence at the Supreme Court was published.
The Washington Post story revealed that groups controlled by court-capture operative Leonard Leo ran a pricey public relations campaign to puff up Justice Thomas and tear down people who have raised serious questions about his behavior. Leo’s flattery campaign continued for years and was financed with at least $1.8 million.
Why exactly was Leo spending so much money to try to rehabilitate the reputation of a sitting Supreme Court Justice?
The American people deserve a Supreme Court they can trust — one where political operatives and billionaires with big interests before the Court can’t secretly orchestrate grand vacations and massive public relations campaigns to curry favor with a Justice.
I’ll leave you with this excerpt from the Post:
“The public relations campaign shows how he has continued to exert influence in support of right-leaning justices after helping them secure lifetime appointments. It adds to an emerging portrait of Leo as a behind-the-scenes benefactor, defending the justices from public criticism and exalting their jurisprudence while tending to personal matters including private travel and a spouse’s employment.”
Thank you,
Sheldon Whitehouse
