Judicial kingmaker Leonard Leo and billionaire donor/Clarence Thomas bestie Harlan Crow, who have refused previous requests to appear before the Senate Judiciary committee, were targets of subpoenas that were approved yesterday by Democrats on the committee. Via The Guardian:
In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, Leo said he will not comply with any congressional subpoena.
“Senate judiciary committee Democrats have been destroying the supreme court; now they are destroying the Senate. I will not cooperate with this unlawful campaign of political retribution,” he said.
Democrats in control of the committee pushed the subpoenas through, over Republican objections.
Republican tactics at the Thursday hearing included a walkout by all but one party member and attempts to create procedural disorder including filing 177 amendments. Ultimately only 11 senators, all Democrats, voted on the subpoenas. All approved.
Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, accused Democrats of “breaking the Senate judiciary committee rules to issue subpoenas as part of a witch-hunt against supreme court justices they don’t like”.
