The Supreme Court did not disclose its longstanding financial ties with former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff even as it touted him as an expert who independently validated its investigation into who leaked the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. …

CNN has learned from sources familiar with the arrangements that the court in recent years has privately contracted with The Chertoff Group for security assessments, some broadly covering justices’ safety and some specifically related to Covid-19 protocols at the court itself.

The estimated payments to Chertoff’s risk assessment firm, for consultations that extended over several months and involved a review of the justices’ homes, reached at least $1 million. The exact amount of money paid could not be determined. Supreme Court contracts are not covered by federal public disclosure rules and elude tracking on public databases.

[Is this really an issue, though? The “independent” aspect of the probe referred to its separation from the court marshal’s office. They are essentially a vendor for court security, which means that Chertoff’s firm would likely be the best positioned to review the investigation and suggest new avenues for successfully concluding it. This isn’t a situation where the court ruled in a case that involved Chertoff or his firm — he got hired as a consultant. It might have been wiser to note the previous work Chertoff does for the court, but it’s hardly a scandal that they didn’t. — Ed]