GOP Sen. Kennedy goes off on SCOTUS leaker: 'Congratulations, butthead'

"I don't mean any disrespect to the chief justice. I was disappointed in his report."

By Ben Whedon

Published: January 20, 2023 5:43pm

Updated: January 20, 2023 6:05pm

Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy on Friday maligned the mysterious leaker of the draft court ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson case that overturned the constitutional right to abortion.

The Supreme Court announced on Thursday, after a months-long investigation, that it had been unable to identify who leaked the draft opinion indicating that the justices would overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The leak prompted outrage among pro-abortion groups and even led to an assassination attempt on Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Kennedy, for his part, appeared on "The Faulkner Focus" on Friday and decried the leaker, portraying them as believing their personal views trumped constitutional order.

"Here's my message to the leaker. Congratulations, butthead. You almost got a member of the United States Supreme Court killed and his family," he said. "What a narcissist. You obviously think your personal politics are more important than that, the sanctity of the United States Supreme Court."

"I don't mean any disrespect to the chief justice. I was disappointed in his report," he went on. "I think this is the chief justice's way of saying we're not going to find out who the leaker is. And if we do now, we're not going to tell you. We will move on. I think that's a mistake."

Former President Donald Trump also expressed frustration with the outcome of the Supreme Court's investigating, suggesting that authorities question the Politico reporters who published the draft opinion and potentially jail them should they prove unwilling to identify their source.

"The Supreme Court has just announced it is not able to find out, even with the help of our 'crack' FBI, who the leaker was on the R v Wade scandal," Trump said. "They'll never find out, & it's important that they do. So, go to the reporter & ask him/her who it was. If not given the answer, put whoever in jail until the answer is given."

"You might add the publisher and editor to the list," he went on. "Stop playing games, this leaking cannot be allowed to happen. It won't take long before the name of this slime is revealed!"