Jamie Gorelick sits on the 9/11 commission. She’s a Clinton era Deputy Attorney General, who now works as a litigation partner for the Washington law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering. So far so good. Now here’s the twist (via blogger Dwight Meredith). Wilmer, Cutler have reportedly agreed to represent ‘prince’ Mohammed al Faisal, a potential defendant in the litigation being brought by the 9/11 families against various prominent Saudis.

Now the ‘prince’ is entitled to legal representation, but you don’t have to be paranoid to think that there’s a clear problem here with conflict of interest. Remember that there doesn’t have to have been any actual impropriety to find a conflict. The mere potential is enough, or, in sensitive cases, even its perception. If investigating 9/11 isn’t sensitive, what is?

Gorelick should resign from the commission.

And while we’re on the subject of the commission, how about those 28 pages?