A lack of evidence to the contrary suggests that one Kevin McNulty is qualified for a seat at the federal bench — to which he’s just been named on the recommendation of New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg.
There’s only one problem — how he came by that nomination in the first place.
As The Post’s Josh Margolin reported Monday, McNulty’s brother-in-law is Lautenberg’s fellow Democrat and New York colleague Chuck Schumer.
Further, Margolin quotes knowledgable people as saying that Lautenberg actually favored a different candidate. “McNulty came out of left field,” said one source.
Actually, some folks think Lautenberg’s desire to seek re-election in 2014 — he’ll be 90 — and his fears that party bosses may want a younger candidate were factors.
What better insurance than to do a big favor for Schumer, the Democrats’ No. 3 in the Senate?
Lautenberg calls that version “complete fiction,” insisting he and his team first began eyeing McNulty for a judgeship in 2009 — when, he claims, he didn’t know of the Schumer connection.
Schumer insists he had nothing to do with his brother-in-law’s surprise selection and noted that he’s always supported Lautenberg “through thick and thin.”
Again, McNulty — who’s married to Schumer’s sister — is no political hack. Before going into private practice, he had a long career as an assistant US attorney.
But if his becoming a federal judge — a lifetime appointment — was part of a crude political deal, or even an unsolicited favor to protect one veteran pol’s career, then the appointment shouldn’t go forward.
One thing’s for sure: Schumer won’t be holding another of his trademark Sunday press conferences to complain about it.