Reagan Files Paint Court Nominee as a Watchdog

[papau]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-roberts19aug19,0,5491555.story?track=tottext

Reagan Files Paint Court Nominee as a Watchdog
By David G. Savage, Richard Simon and Henry Weinstein
Times Staff Writers

August 19, 2005

WASHINGTON — As a White House lawyer in the Reagan administration, John G. Roberts Jr. did not spend all of his time analyzing the great legal issues of the day. Instead, judging from the thousands of pages of his files that were released Thursday, the Supreme Court nominee spent much of his time acting as a gatekeeper and editor for the president.

He repeatedly tried to keep President Reagan's friends from taking advantage of his office. He sought to keep the president from lending his name or office to promoting commercial interests. Sometimes, he intervened to keep Reagan from saying things he might regret.

When actor Jimmy Stewart wrote to Reagan in 1983 to ask him to serve on an advisory board for his son's prep school in Arizona, for instance, Roberts wrote a stern memo advising that the president "should not accept Stewart's invitation." The school planned to use Reagan's name to raise money. It would be "demeaning to the office, using it as a huckster's ploy," Roberts wrote.

When some wealthy Republicans from Dallas invited the Reagans to a gala dinner, Roberts advised against attending on the grounds that sponsors were using the event as part of the grand opening of a shopping mall.<snip>

[kskiska]

1. Michael Reagan tried to use RR's name in letters to promote himself

I wonder if it was Roberts who exposed him and stopped his visits to the White House after the Secret Service caught him stealing knick-knacks.

[papau]

2. It is just business - no hard feelings - OK? :-(

:-(

[Supersedeas]

3. too bad no one is there to advise Dimson against this kind of cronyism

[napi21]

4. IF all this is true, I must admit, I like his thought process.

I still can't tell what he's really like on many other issues, and he and the admin are trying very hard to keep it that way. I do like the idea of him trying to keep Reagan from being used by his "buddies". Too bad there doesn't seem to be anyone in that job now!