There’s pandering and then there’s pandering
The Fuehrer may not be around but how about the Kracken lady, Sidney Powell? I hear she’s at liberty. Or maybe that anti-abortion zealot down in Texas Matthew Kacsmaryk. He’s definitely the Alito and Thomas extremist level. I’m sure DeSantis’ idol Donald Trump put some others on the bench that are even worse if he looks hard enough!
This woman seems like an especially good fit:
The San Francisco lawyer Harmeet Dhillon is a fixture on Fox News who has garnered support from the likes of Matt Gaetz, Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham; she also helms a non-profit that appears to have directed more than $1m into her law firm, Dhillon Law Group.
Dhillon most recently made headlines when she signed on to represent Carlson in a gender discrimination lawsuit he and Fox News face from former producer Abby Grossberg. She also acted as an attorney for Donald Trump and former Project Veritas head James O’Keefe, who in 2021 sued Twitter for banning him.
Last November, Dhillon was able to mount a serious challenge to Ronna McDaniel for chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC). Archived snapshots of her campaign’s official website touted endorsements from elected officials such as Gaetz and conservative media figures such as Carlson, Ingraham and Jack Posobiec.
Her growing profile proved a huge advantage. Since becoming an RNC committeewoman for California in 2016, she made hundreds of appearances in conservative media, predominantly Fox News. From 2019, these appearances were often based on lawsuits sponsored by that non-profit she helms, the Center for American Liberty (CAL), and aimed at rightwing bugbears like Covid restrictions, leftist street protesters and gender-affirming healthcare.
The Guardian has found that at least $1.32m has been transferred from the CAL to her law firm, Dhillon Law Group, in a move one charity expert described as “problematic”. Additionally, state and federal filings show Dhillon takes a $120,000 salary from CAL for a two-hour work week.
Meanwhile, the non-profit has entered into a close relationship with a well-heeled rightwing foundation whose financial generosity has been matched by a seat on the non-profit’s board.
The right has an endless supply of lawyers of the “Alito and Thomas level.” He’ll have to find a way to make somebody retire or drop dead but to make room for them but I think he’s up to the task.