Talk about a motley crew that the Democrats have lined up to attack Judge Samuel Alito.
Powerline hits Leahy on the inclusion of Stephen Dujack on one of the panels (according to Leahy’s list, the final panel). Dujack is considered even in some left-wing circles a bit a gadfly. He is expected to attack Alito for his purported activities as a member of Concerned Alumni of Princeton.
We’ve been hearing for weeks that Leahy staffers have been pressuring the Washington Post and New York to write about CAP and Alito, claiming they had “explosive” evidence. It isn’t clear that anyone is biting. But clearly, Leahy thinks Dujack will impress.
The real fireworks should play out in panel three, which features attorney Fred Gray (famous for serving as a legal counsel to Rosa Parks), Kate Michelman (supporter of the slaughter of innocent lives), and Ronald Sullivan, a law professor at Yale.
According to a Democratic Judiciary Staff member, Leahy believes this is a panel that will garner the most press attention for Democrats. Gray will charge that Alito’s writings and rulings will turn back the clock on the rights of American minorities. Michelman will charge … well, we know where she’s going to go. Sullivan has told Leahy’s staff that he is willing to call out Alito for questionable ethics and recusal decisions during his time on the federal bench.
“Leahy and others on our side believe that after our side’s opening statements, these panels are the best chance we have of raising the kinds of questions to delay Alito’s confirmation vote, if we decide to go that route,” says the Democratic staffer. “Gray and Sullivan are important in raising those kinds of questions.”
