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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Chris McGreal in New York

Leonard Leo: the secretive rightwinger using billions to reshape America

Leonard Leo United States Donald Trump Clarence Thomas Federalist Society Marble Freedom Trust Barre Seid Samuel Alito
Leonard Leo in this 2016 photo, as then vice-president of the Federalist Society.
Leonard Leo in this 2016 photo, as then vice-president of the Federalist Society. Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP

As the US supreme court justice Clarence Thomas prepared to take questions from members of the rightwing legal advocacy group the Federalist Society, a few years back, he turned to the moderator.

Thomas joked that the nondescript man in the blue suit and white shirt was the “No 3 most powerful person in the world”, and then fell about laughing. The target of the judge’s mirth, Leonard Leo, grinned and remarked: “God help us.”

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