Sparkle Sooknanan Federal

During her Senate confirmation hearing, Sparkle Sooknanan was asked under oath by Senator Josh Hawley whether she had served as lead counsel in Puerto Rico hedge fund litigation while at Jones Day. She answered directly: "I was not lead counsel. I was one of many lawyers who handled that litigation."

She lied. Jones Day's own 2020 press release states she was "leading the team representing a group of investors" in that exact matter. When those hedge funds petitioned the United States Supreme Court in June 2019, Sooknanan is listed as counsel of record — the designation for the attorney of primary responsibility.

It was not the only false statement she offered that day. Sooknanan also disputed statements attributed to her in The New York Times in which she had reportedly criticized Jones Day's work representing Donald Trump in post-election litigation. She claimed the words were not hers.

Senator Hawley sent written follow-up questions asking specifically how her sworn testimony on the lead counsel question was consistent with the documented record. She did not respond. Despite (or perhaps because of) her deceit, the Senate confirmed her 50 to 48 along partisan lines.