The front page of CNN.com blares the headline, "Prominent conservative endorses Harris, calls Trump a threat to democracy." Below the photograph of Mike Luttig is the caption, "It'll be the first time the retired federal judge, a veteran of two GOP administrations, has voted for a Democrat."
Is Mike Luttig "prominent"? And is he still a conservative? At one point, he was unquestionably both. The former Wunderkind held senior posts in DOJ and was appointed to the Fourth Circuit before most lawyers make partner. He was at the tip-top of the Supreme Court short list, but President George W. Bush passed over him to select John Roberts and Samuel Alito. In 2006, Luttig retired from the Fourth Circuit and became general counsel of Boeing. After that point, he fell off the map. I had completely forgotten about him. I had never seen him at any Federalist Society event. He did not offer any public advocacy. He said nothing about the leading issues facing the conservative legal movement. He was a non-entity.
But then January 6 happened. And the Luttig hagiography emerged. Greg Jacob, Mike Pence's counsel, relates that Luttig had no conversations with Pence prior to January 6. Jacob simply cited some of Luttig's tweets in his already-completed letter. That's it! Yet, somehow, Luttig is commonly viewed as Pence's close advisor, and a person who helped save the Republic. Never happened.
