People have been asking me why I've been so fixated on Leonard Leo lately

I'm concerned about the damage he has down to our courts

ONE-THIRD of current SCOTUS judges were HANDPICKED by 1 man

[THREAD]
Don't look to the MSM on this one: Mr Leo has flown pretty under the radar, considering what a central role he's played in GOP corruption.

Time for a proper roundup to see it all in one place.
Yesterday WaPo threw another log on the Scott Pruitt scandal dumpster fire:
Pruitt enlisted a top aide at EPA to find his wife a job through GOP donors.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-chief-scott-pruitt-tapped-aide-donors-to-help-wife-land-job-at-conservative-group/2018/06/13/f54c87fa-6db1-11e8-afd5-778aca903bbe_story.html

1/
EPA chief Scott Pruitt tapped aide, donors to help wife land job at conservative group

Those efforts raise more ethics questions for the Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-chief-scott-pruitt-tapped-aide-donors-to-help-wife-land-job-at-conservative-group/2018/06/13/f54c87fa-6db1-11e8-afd5-778aca903bbe_story.html
Marilyn Pruitt landed at Judicial Crisis Network (JCN)

JCN spokesman said the position came about after the group received her résumé from Leonard Leo, executive VP of the Federalist Society.

WaPo noted: The two organizations have financial ties. Quite an understatement 💸

2/
JCN & Federalist Society have more than financial ties. They are 2 major cogs in the GOP dark money churn.

JCN is a mutation of the Judicial Confirmation Network formed in 2005 to help Bush nominees get through confirmation.

Much like they did for Gorsuch in 2017.

3/
The purpose of JCN is to promote & enforce the agenda of Leonard Leo, a man who no one elected.

JCN muscle: Ad campaign going after Justice Roberts in 2015, 10 years after he got the guy confirmed.

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2015/11/wellspring-gives-big-boost-to-judicial-crisis-network-with-6-6-million-grant/

4/
And he didn't need to pass along Marilyn Pruitt's resume to JCN.

Because Leonard Leo is JCN.

https://www.citizensforethics.org/news/rule-law-project-breaks-law-backing-wisconsin-ag-schimel-complaint-alleges/

5/
“Administrator Pruitt and Leonard Leo are longtime close friends" (WaPo 5/7/18)

Some receipts:

https://twitter.com/weareoversight/status/1006912696506355712

6/
Pruitt & Leo go way back.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/05/07/top-federalist-society-official-initially-paid-for-scott-pruitts-costly-dinner-in-rome-epa-officials-confirm/

7/
"Mr. Leo, email records from Mr. Pruitt’s Oklahoma office show, joined with Mr. Pruitt to help coordinate some of these efforts, and to raise money for them."

8/
How deep into the swamp does this friendship go?

Exhibit A: JCN ➕ Republican Attorneys General Association

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2015/11/wellspring-gives-big-boost-to-judicial-crisis-network-with-6-6-million-grant/

9/
Exhibit B: JCN ▶️ RLP ▶️ RLDF

#FollowTheMoney

Pruitt was chair of Rule of Law Defense Fund (RLDF)
Leonard Leo is director of Rule of Law Project (ROLP)

https://www.fastcompany.com/40428688/conservative-group-led-by-epa-chief-pruitt-received-dark-money-to-battle-environmental-regulations

10/
Exhibit C: Back in Oklahoma, Pruitt used AG office to cover his travels to speak at events hosted by The Federalist Society. Classy. Anything for Leo. ✈️

https://twitter.com/JamesFourM/status/989677480087818240

11/
In this friendship Leonard Leo wears several hats. I wonder which one Pruitt likes most....

Leonard Leo, the Travel Agent?

https://twitter.com/kenvogel/status/991482488437530624

12/
Or does he prefer Leonard Leo, the Travel Companion?

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/01/us/pruitt-epa-trips-lobbyists.html

13/
Or perhaps Leonard Leo, the Catholic Networker? (also Knights of Malta)

I hear he invites the best people to his dinner parties... ooops.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/11/politics/pruitt-dinner-included-vatican-figure-accused-of-sexual-abuse/index.html

14/
From what we know about Pruitt, he is cheap AF -- w/his own money

Safe bet his favorite Leo is the one who foots the bill

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/05/07/top-federalist-society-official-initially-paid-for-scott-pruitts-costly-dinner-in-rome-epa-officials-confirm/?utm_term=.43d8d3cc789e

15/
Trump got rid of HHS Sec Price who had a shorter rap sheet, but why why why won't he fire Scott Pruitt???

Because Leonard Leo says so. Trump's outranked...

MAYOR of the Swamp > POTUS

16/
This Pruitt situation is not the first time Trump took orders from the mayor.

Trump has no fucking clue what he is doing. He didn't do his homework but the swamp's more than happy to let him copy off theirs.

"A pipeline to the Trump admin.."

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/05/we-now-know-how-the-koch-brothers-and-leonard-leo-buy-special-favors.html

17/
The pipeline actually runs not to, but THROUGH the Trump admin
...on its way to Court

4/7/17: Leo's 3rd SCOTUS pick is confirmed

Gorsuch, an "originalist" like Scalia.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/17/the-conservative-pipeline-to-the-supreme-court

18/
My thoughts re: GOP "originalist" con

If you care about Constitution you'd show at least a smidge of respect for Obama, a CONSTITUTIONAL LAW PROFESSOR

But you prefer Trump who wouldn't know difference if you read to him from constitution or bible

https://twitter.com/emlas/status/1003785314694041600

19/
Speaking of GOP (lack of) respect for Obama. Look who Mitch McConnell dined w/in 2010 when he blew off POTUS. Another Leo dinner party!

Mitch is Federalist Society's puppet & there's no space for bipartisanship on that (stolen) pipeline
Shameful

https://twitter.com/JamesFourM/status/989311707456704512

20/
Another notable member of Federalist Society member with deep Gorsuch ties and personal connections to JCN is Philip Anschutz: h/t @ninaandtito

https://twitter.com/ninaandtito/status/909826610978750464

21/
Buying SCOTUS ain't cheap.

JCN spent $7 million to block Garland

+$10 million in support of Gorsuch confirmation

Hence LL shoutout at Gorsuch hearing...

Transcript: https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Neil%20M.%20Gorsuch%20SJQ%20(Public).pdf

22/
Add another $1 million to his tab. Unknown/front company "BH Group LLC" cut a check to Trump's inaugural committee slush fund on 12/22/16.

"At the center of the convoluted network through which the inaugural contribution flowed is Leonard Leo."

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/latest-news/article210176219.html

23/
$1 million mystery gift to inauguration traced to conservative legal activists

One of the largest contributions to President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee in 2016 appears to have been orchestrated by a set of powerful conservative legal activists who have since been put in...

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/latest-news/article210176219.html
BH Group (Leo) is also linked to Wellspring Committee which is another cog in the dark money churn 🔄

https://twitter.com/LuluLemew/status/996142965537103873

24/
Essential reading on Wellspring via OpenSecrets.

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2017/03/wellsprings-dark-money-crucial-to-trump-orbit/

25/
Wellspring Cmte backed 45Committee! $750K in 2015.

How did we get back here?? Dark money circles literally move money in circles.

https://twitter.com/emlas/status/990098814781546496

26/
Wellspring's Corkery & his wife hold positions at several dark money groups (JCN included) that are affiliated w/Liberty Central

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2010/03/tea_party_at_the_supreme_court.html

27/
Liberty Central Inc, tea party advocacy group, was founded by Ginni Thomas (wife of SCOTUS' Clarence)

This group is very swampy. Koch ties & more of the usual suspects.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2011/10/03/koch-entertained-justice-thomas-at-his-private-club/

28/
Koch Entertained Justice Thomas At His Private Club - CounterPunch.org

Supreme Court Scandal Widens More

https://www.counterpunch.org/2011/10/03/koch-entertained-justice-thomas-at-his-private-club/
Only 1 degree of separation btw Ginni Thomas and Mr. Leo if you go through the Corkery's

But these two have a direct relationship. Both among the 2013 members of....
🥁🥁🥁

GROUNDSWELL

https://twitter.com/emlas/status/996212864200380417

29/
Why was/is Mr. Leo involved in this right wing synchronized journalism? The same guy who is picking federal judges.

So he's picked 3 SCOTUS + has 1 more in his pocket (Thomas)

Mayor of the Swamp

https://twitter.com/emlas/status/1004199397062856704

30/
So the same guy picking our fed judges is architect/crux of an elaborate network of dark money groups (BH, etc), dark journalism (Groundswell) & dark ads (via JCN)

Leonard Leo is just a fancier Michael Cohen. These lawyers really get around.

31/
Speaking of Trumpland, Leo is very close w/Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow. They are 2 of the "4 horsemen" of the GOP judiciary coup.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/dark-money-group-attacks-obamas-supreme-court-picks-before-theyre-even-nominated

32/
Horseman #3 is tobacco heir C. Boyden Gray. He's a friend of Pruitt & seems pretty cozy w/POTUS

https://twitter.com/costareports/status/971497374219755520

33/
Horseman #4 is former US AG Edwin Meese III. He was on the advisory committee of the Libby Legal Defense Fund.

The Libby pardon was not about signaling to Cohen, Manafort et al.
The signal was bonus side effect.

http://www.scooterlibby.com/committee/default.html

34/
All "4 horsemen" are active members of the Federalist Society.

Latest cause: arguing Mueller’s probe is unconstitutional (despite dissent from their TFS brother George Conway) 🤫

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/05/24/george-conway-tweets-kellyannewest-wing-eyebrow-218538

35/
Their beloved Federalist Society is well-funded with backers like the Mercers.

https://www.publicintegrity.org/2017/04/28/20845/mercer-family-s-charitable-giving-skyrocketed-2015-new-filing-shows

36/
And Mr Leo is in the Mercer's inner circle. He sits on the very small board of Reclaim New York w/Mercer daughters. Founded 2013-14.

Bannon was on board until Aug 2016.

https://twitter.com/WendySiegelman/status/843177170814074884

37/
While Reclaim NY denies it, Ed Butowsky said he was a board member as well in his bio (thanks Wayback Machine)

🤔

Archived on 8/19/16: https://web.archive.org/web/20160819104616/edbutowsky.com/financial-services-advisor/

38/
Remember Ed? The guy who put Seth Rich's family through hell with his bogus "investigation".

https://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/the-man-behind-the-seth-rich-private-investigation-has-a

39/
Ed used Fox News' investigative reporting "talent" (lol) to hide his agenda

Just as Mr Leo & his friends use the corrupt-as-ever GOP to advance theirs

https://www.npr.org/2017/08/01/540783715/lawsuit-alleges-fox-news-and-trump-supporter-created-fake-news-story

40/
Can you find a GOP/Trump news story to which you cannot tie Leonard Leo?

This thread could go on forever but I'll leave you with this..

It's time to get the word out about our shadow gov't 🔎

41/
🚨There's a puppetmaster pulling strings & dictating agenda across ALL 3 branches of our gov't 🚨

One man driving an agenda rooted in dark money and aimed at taking away our rights.

He's received ZERO votes from the American people

Who does he represent?

fin/
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