The Senate Judiciary Committee has voted to issue subpoenas to Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo in connection with an ongoing ethics investigation related to the 2018 Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh.
The committee voted along party lines to issue the subpoenas, with the panel’s Democratic majority voting to approve the measure.
Leo and Crow are both closely associated with the Federalist Society, a conservative organization founded to promote an ideological orientation toward law and public policy. Crow is a wealthy donor to the Federalist Society, and Leo has served as both the organization’s executive vice president and the chairman of its board of directors.
The subpoenas seek information related to the pair’s contacts with the White House and Kavanaugh’s nomination. In particular, the Senate seeks to determine whether either individual tried to influence the nomination and judicial confirmation process through money or other incentives.
The use of subpoenas to force Leo and Crow to testify has been a hot topic of discussion in Washington, with many Democrats pushing for the measure as a way to uncover potential instances of unethical behavior. However, some Republicans, including Donald Trump, have accused the Democrats of using the investigation as a political tool.
The issue is expected to be brought before the full Senate for a vote in the coming weeks. The outcome of that vote is likely to be closely watched, as it could set an important precedent for similar attempts to investigate alleged misconduct in the Supreme Court nomination process.