Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Secretly Took Lavish Trips From Republican Megadonor, Report Says
The U.S. judicial system has been rocked after the most conservative justice on the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas, was reported to have accepted undisclosed luxury gifts from a top Republican donor for more than two decades.
Thomas is now facing calls for impeachment amid corruption allegations. ProPublica was the first to break the news of Thomas' connection with conservative property billionaire Harlan Crow.
According to the ProPublica report published Thursday, Thomas failed to disclose travel on yachts and jets and other gifts funded by Crow.
That means that the Supreme Court justice may have violated financial disclosure rules. ProPublica released an expose on the gifts and luxury trips that Thomas has accepted.
It was revealed that Thomas flies on Crow's Bombardier Global 5000 jet and holidays on the Republican megadonor's 162 feet super-yacht. The justice had holidays at Crow's ranch in Texas and joined him at an all-male retreat in California.
Thomas also reportedly spends about a week each summer at Crow's private resort in the Adirondack Mountains in New York. He and his wife also went on a trip to Indonesia with Crow.
ProPublica reported that the cost of the trip in the billionaire's yacht could have exceeded $500,000, but Thomas' salary as a public servant was only around $285,000.
Thomas has reportedly accepted luxury trips from the Dallas billionaire every year without disclosing them.
Citing people who know both men, ProPublica reported that Thomas met Crow after he became a justice, and they have become genuine friends.
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Democrats Criticize Justice Clarence Thomas for Accepting Luxury Gifts From Republican Megadonor
The revelations about Clarence Thomas' luxurious lifestyle have drawn much criticism from Democrats as the justice's decisions on crucial issues may have been influenced by the Republican megadonor.
Senator Dick Durbin, the Illinois Democrat who chairs the Senate judiciary committee, released a statement about the embattled justice and said, "This behavior is simply inconsistent with the ethical standards the American people expect of any public servant, let alone a justice on the Supreme Court."
House Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York warned that this was already beyond party or partisanship as judges, let alone Supreme Court justices must always be neutral.
The New York congresswoman wrote on social media, "This is beyond party or partisanship. This degree of corruption is shocking - almost cartoonish. Thomas must be impeached. Barring some dramatic change, this is what the [chief justice John] Roberts court will be known for rank corruption, erosion of democracy, and the stripping of human rights."
However, according to The Guardian, while Thomas is facing calls for impeachment, this would be unlikely as Republicans control the House.
Supreme Court Code of Ethics Calls Renewed After Clarence Thomas Corruption Scandal Breaks Out
According to NPR, the ProPublica investigation raises a series of potential conflicts of interest between Clarence Thomas and Harlan Crow. It has renewed calls for implementing a code of ethics in the Supreme Court.
Several Democrats have already sounded off on the calls for a code of ethics, including Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats Cory Booker and Alex Padilla, as well as Senators Jeff Merkley, Elizabeth Warren, Chris Murphy, and Ed Markey.
On the other hand, Thomas' wife, Ginni Thomas, may have been involved in the January 6 Capitol insurrection as she exchanged text messages with then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
She reportedly asked him to take steps to overturn the 2020 election in favor of former President Donald Trump. Thomas was asked to recuse himself should the Supreme Court step in.
Ginni, a conservative activist, was also with her husband when he went on some of those vacations funded by the billionaire GOP megadonor.
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Written by: Rick Martin
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