While a backlash emerged Tuesday among French politicians of all stripes about whether their government and others should have rushed to embrace the cause of the jailed film director Roman Polanski, his American legal team picked up an influential new member: the lawyer Reid Weingarten, a well-known Washington power player and close friend and associate of Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.
The recruiting of Mr. Weingarten was a strong signal that Mr. Polanski’s legal team intends to push hard on the Washington end of the case... A former government lawyer who once worked in the Justice Department’s public integrity division, Mr. Weingarten is described as one of Mr. Holder’s closest friends, and joined him in founding the See Forever Foundation, which helps disadvantaged children.
Holder is not responsible for the decision of his friend. But if I were him, I'd be a little nervous about one of my best friends taking a role in a supremely controversial case.
This also tends to confirm the idea that the defense in this case is at least going to try and call in some of the favors the Hollywood left thinks they are owed by the Obama administration.
