Lawyers for conservative leader and private citizen Leonard Leo say Leo will not respond to a subpoena issued by the Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee.
In a letter to Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Leo’s attorney, David B. Rivkin Jr., said: co-chairman A Federalist Society committee classified the subpoena as “illegal and politically motivated.”
The letter to Mr. Durbin was filed in response to a subpoena that Mr. Durbin issued to Mr. Leo on Thursday.
“For the reasons stated above, Mr. Leo has not responded to the unlawful and politically motivated subpoena by members of the Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee,” Rivkin said in a letter shared with Breitbart News.
“Today, I received an illegal and politically motivated subpoena from U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin,” Leo said in a statement shared with Breitbart News. “I will not give in to his lawless support for the Senate Sheldon White House or to left-wing dark money efforts to silence and cancel political opposition.”
In October 2023, the Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Mr. Leo as part of an “inversion of the courts” despite being told by Mr. Leo’s lawyer that he had no constitutional authority to punish civilians. announced that it would be published.
Mr. Durbin and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are pushing a so-called ethics bill known as S.359. Supreme Court Ethics, Challenges, and Transparency Act (SCERT) is trying to get conservative Supreme Court justices to exclude some cases to ensure more liberal decisions.
Unable to subpoena Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, Durbin and the White House issued subpoenas demanding Leo’s personal records, citing his longtime friendship with them. demanded.
“We have presented clear and detailed reasons why the committee’s investigation is a form of political retaliation that violates the First Amendment and the equal protection portion of the Due Process Clause,” Rivkin wrote in October. This was stated in a letter to Durbin on the 19th. “However, the October 5 letter largely ignores these points, and since the last letter the Commission has only escalated its retaliatory efforts against Mr. Leo. He also explained in detail why the Supreme Court’s Ethics Act, which he drafted, would violate the separation of powers if enacted and therefore would not justify the commission’s investigation.
In his Oct. 19 letter, Rivkin addressed the attacks from the Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee, claiming:[d]”Ark money remains a serious threat to American democracy and the integrity of the Supreme Court,” it said, adding that “Leonard Leo and a group of coddled billionaires” had created a “calculated financial scheme.” hinted. In another reference, Rivkin cited White House claims that Leo belongs to a “filthy web of dark money and right-wing billionaires” and “docile Supreme Court justices.” ing.
“These new statements, along with those cited in the July 25 letter and a number of other documents, demonstrate that the committee is targeting Mr. Leo for his political views and hostility to his association. “It dispels any doubts that existed at all,” Rivkin added.
In late November 2023, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve a subpoena for Leo.
