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Leonard Leo, a prominent player in conservative legal circles, today defended Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who has faced vicious criticism from MAGA world.
Speaking to NBC News, Leo described Barrett, who Trump nominated in 2020, as “one of the most distinguished conservative jurists we’ve had in probably 100 years.”
Leo, as a behind-the-scenes player, has played a key role in creating a pipeline of conservative judicial nominees that Trump tapped into in his first term.
The recent criticisms have focused on Barrett’s key vote Wednesday in a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling that rejected a Trump administration attempt to avoid paying out money to U.S. Agency for International Development contractors.
Leo said that while he thought the four conservatives who dissented had the better argument, it is common for justices to disagree, especially on cases that reach the court on an emergency basis, like the USAID dispute.
“What you are seeing here is a procedural disagreement,” he said.
As for the jibe made by some MAGA influencers that Barrett is a “diversity, equity and inclusion” or DEI appointment, Leo pointed to her staunchly conservative votes on such issues as abortion, gun rights and affirmative action.
“That doesn’t sound like a DEI hire to me,” he said.
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