Politics: McDonald Allies Aim Robocalls at Republican Senators.

Two weeks after decrying politics in judicial nominations, allies of Chief Justice nominee Andrew McDonald are deploying political campaign tactics to heave the beleaguered nominee across the finish line. Republican senators were the target of automated phone calls alleging a “far-right conservative conspiracy” to derail the nomination of the associate justice and Governor Dannel P. Malloy ally to the court system’s top spot.

Recipients can have the call forwarded to their state senator to express support for McDonald—or in some cases their opposition to his nomination. No mention is made of overwhelming Republican support of McDonald’s nomination to the court in 2013 or the decisions that have eroded his support in the ensuing five years. Republican senators are providing that information.

The calls are funded by True Justice LLC, a lobbying effort organized by Democrat operative John Stafstrom, according to public records. Stafstrom is a McDonald friend and a partner at Pullman & Comley, where McDonald was a partner before becoming Malloy’s legal counsel in 2011. Stamford lawyer Ernest Teitell is also listed as a True Justice contributor. Pullman & Comley has enjoyed a lucrative relationship with state government during the seven years of the Malloy administration. Teitell’s law partner, David Golub, represented state Democrats in their successful attempt to keep secret emails and other documents from Malloy’s 2014 re-election campaign and the murky financial arrangements that assisted it.

The Belnap Street project to champion the McDonald nomination is expected to intensify until the Senate votes later this month. Feminism may continue to take a sabbatical unless victims of McDonald’s bullying while in the legislature and and then the Malloy administration tell their stories.

There is a risk in delaying the McDonald vote. Should one chamber of the legislature reject McDonald’s nomination there may be insufficient time left in this short regular session of the legislature to consider another Malloy nominee. That would leave the position open for the next governor, who could be a Republican, to fill the job.