According to the portion of his divorce file that is public in Los Angeles Superior Court, his lawyers in 2000 sought to seal some 40 files, citing the interests of his son. The boy’s mother and Ryan’s ex-wife, actress Jeri Ryan, shared no such concerns at the time. Her lawyer argued that Jack Ryan sought to seal the files in order to protect “his potential political career.”
Initially, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Schnider denied Ryan’s request to seal the documents; the judge noted that they might contain “inflammatory, inappropriate and embarrassing material.”
“The allegation is that these materials might be embarrassing to the parties, might be damaging to [Jack Ryan],” the judge wrote. “This is exactly the case where the court should not seal material. Particularly when issues of potential political involvement and cases involving substantial assets are involved, the court proceeding should be open so that the perception of the courts as equal to all the parties is preserved.”
A year later, after the conviction of a man who had harassed Jeri Ryan, the judge reversed course. He granted the request to seal the files. Attorneys for the Chicago Tribune went to court Monday seeking to open those files.
With the files off-limits, voters are left to guess whether there is any import to the information Jack Ryan sought to keep hidden.
The issue here is not divorce. As a regrettable but commonplace occurrence, it by no means tarnishes those who seek public office.
The issue is whether there is information that may be germane to Ryan’s fitness to represent the state in the Senate. If there is, he should share it with voters now, before the Tuesday primary. And if there is not, he can emphatically demonstrate to whispering opponents that they are all wet.
The allegations (and that is all they are at this point) aren’t just personal behavior. They are far more serious than what Hull was questioned on. I suppose if I just wanted a weak Republican candidate, I’d suggest he wait. But the voters in the Illinois Republican primary deserve to know. And they deserve to know if the charges are bullshit too. If that is the case, both General Borling, even with his heroic past, and Rod McCulloch deserve a one-way ticket out of Illinois politics.