Thread by @mjs_DC

Stellar reporting from @DavidLat on three members of the Federalist Society who urged leadership to condemn the insurrectionists in its ranks (namely Eastman, Hawley, and Cruz).

FedSoc has not condemned this insurrectionists, and I don't think it will. davidlat.substack.com/p/the-federali…

Lat's piece has a lot of interesting analysis, and you should read it.

I'll add one thing: I suspect Federalist Society leadership is worried about where to draw the line. Eastman, Hawley, and Cruz are a symptom of a disease that has infected the conservative legal movement.

Eastman, Hawley, and Cruz weren't the only FedSoc members who sought to overturn the election. 18 state attorneys general joined them; most are affiliated with FedSoc. They are the next generation of FedSoc leadership. And they abetted a failed coup. slate.com/news-and-polit…

Republican state AGs have emerged as the backbone of the conservative legal movement over the last decade. They also provide a training ground for young, ambitious conservative attorneys. FedSoc will not distance itself from 18 Republican AGs; it would be like cutting off a limb.

If FedSoc expels three insurrectionists, why stop there? Why not kick out the MANY more coup-abettors in their ranks?

Because it would be self-sabotage. A big chunk of the group attempted to overturn the election or supported those efforts. If FedSoc kicks them out, who's left?

So that's my bet: FedSoc says nothing—and its defenders frame its silence not as cowardice, but as courageous adherence to its position against taking positions. I suspect the vast majority of FedSoc members support this strategy.

Anyway, read Lat's piece:davidlat.substack.com/p/the-federali…