Partisan Roberts Helped Bush in 2000; Bush Helps Roberts in 2005

Can you say, “Pay back?” I thought you could.

Florida newspapers, including the Miami Herald are reporting today that:

U.S. Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts provided legal advice to Gov. Jeb Bush in the weeks following the November 2000 election as part of the effort to make sure the governor’s brother won the disputed presidential vote.

Roberts did this out of the goodness of his partisan heart, and on his own dime.

Roberts was ”one of several experts who came to Florida to share their ideas,” said [Jeb] spokesman Jacob DiPietre. Roberts came “at his own expense and met with Gov. Bush to share what he believed the governor’s responsibilities were under federal law after a presidential election and a presidential election under dispute.”

Roberts has been skulking around the right people for a very long time, with excellent results. The Herald notes…

His connection to Dean Colson, a lawyer with the Miami firm of Colson Hicks Eidson. Colson had been a clerk for Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist at the same time as Roberts in 1980 and was best man at Roberts’ wedding. Brian Yablonski, who was then a top aide to the governor, worked at the Colson law firm before he went to work with Bush…

Since the recount, the ties between the firm where Roberts worked at the time, Hogan & Hartson, and Florida’s government has grown deeper, as Hogan & Hartson has taken on several high-profile legal jobs in the state. The firm, for which Roberts worked from 1986 to 1989 and again from 1993 to 2003, represents and lobbies the Legislature for the Scripps Research Institute, which was given $500 million by state and local governments to set up an operation in Florida.

The Palm Beach Post notes Pres. Bush’s attitude of gratitude was evident early and, with this week’s nomination, often.

Two years after taking office, President Bush nominated Roberts, a conservative, to the federal court of appeals in Washington.

USA Today chronicled more of Roberts’ generosity toward Republicans.

Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts has donated to the political campaigns of several Republican candidates, including one senator who will vote on Roberts’ appointment to the high court.

In recent election years, Roberts has contributed more than $3,700 to Republican candidates, including $1,000 to George W. Bush’s successful bid for the presidency in 2000…

Much of Roberts’ political giving was to his law firm’s political action committee. He gave more than $5,600 to the Hogan & Hartson PAC, especially during the 1998 and 2000 election cycles.

In 1998, the Hogan & Hartson PAC made $111,800 in political donations, with more going to Republicans than Democrats. The same was true in 2000; Hogan & Hartson gave $67,000 to Republicans and $37,250 to Democrats.

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One thought on “Partisan Roberts Helped Bush in 2000; Bush Helps Roberts in 2005”

  1. Hogan & Hartson also represented Fox News in the Al Franken case. Roberts wasn’t directly involved in the case, as far as I can tell, however.

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