Democrat lawmakers Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. Hank Johnson have requested additional information from the former federal judge who reviewed the Supreme Court's probe into the leak of the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, specifically his previous ties to the court and his relationship with the justices, reports CNN.
"The Court's failure to explain adequately why it felt a third-party review was necessary, how it chose that reviewer, and its preexisting relationship with the reviewer all warrant additional clarity," the Feb. 23 letter to the judge, Michael Chertoff, from Rhode Island's Whitehouse and Georgia's Johnson said. "In this purely administrative matter, our committees have an appropriate oversight interest, and we would be grateful for more clarity about your role in this matter and relationship with the Court."
Chertoff reportedly had longstanding financial ties with the court; his organization, The Michael Chertoff Group, was privately contracted for security assessments worth more than $1 million in payments, reports CNN.
In "this Court matter, peculiarities abound, including the different treatment given to the justices, the Court's suggestion that the motive may have been a 'misguided attempt at protest,' and the use of a third party to review the Marshal's investigation," Whitehouse and Johnson wrote.
Ellen Murray, a spokesperson for The Chertoff Group, said the organization received the letter and will respond.
"As you may know, we are working on legislation regarding the internal investigative capabilities at the Court," Whitehouse and Johnson wrote. "Your responses to these questions will help inform any steps that Congress may take to ensure that future investigative matters are properly handled."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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