It would seem Supreme Court corruption is untouchable, but last week Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced a formal request to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland for the opening of an investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Separately, this week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York filed articles of impeachment against not only Thomas, but fellow justice Samuel Alito. Thanks to crack reporting from ProPublica, the world was made aware last year that the SCOTUS justice has been accepting millions of dollars worth of lavish vacations, yacht trips, and international jet-setting on the dime of Republican billionaire megadonor Harlan Crow, breaking with public servant laws and disclosure norms.
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For over 20 years Thomas and his wife have been traveling at the behest of Crow, despite the lifetime-appointment public servant’s requirement to keep to a strict ethical code. This includes a requirement to disclose gifts and any non-government income over $415 value, which he has repeatedly failed to do. The 2023 ProPublica report elucidates Harlan Crow’s contributions to Thomas and his family, including a yacht trip to Russia with private helicopter travel to St. Petersburg, allowing Justice Thomas’ mother to live rent-free in a home owned by Crow, and paying Thomas’ grandnephew’s private $6,000 per month boarding school tuition.
“Justice Thomas and Alito’s repeated failure over decades to disclose that they received millions of dollars in gifts from individuals with business before the court is explicitly against the law,” reads the Ocasio-Cortez statement.
The Whitehouse/Wyden letter, dated July 3, made public that Senate investigations have found evidence of “repeated and willful” omissions, including gifts and income, from Justice Thomas’ required annual financial reports.
“Appointment of a special counsel would serve the public interest,” Whitehouse and Wyden wrote. “The public must have confidence that the judiciary and the Department of Justice execute their responsibilities fairly, impartially, and without respect to political expedience or partisan interests.”
Thomas has claimed that that he didn’t think he there was a requirement to report the trips, as he was advised early in his tenure that they were “personal hospitality.” He has repeatedly stated that the trips were not chartered or requested by him, he was simply tagging along with Crow on his annual trips out of friendliness.
In addition to the Russia trip, Clarence and Ginni Thomas have reportedly travelled aboard Crow’s 162-foot superyacht, the Michaela Rose, to visit Indonesia, Savannah, Georgia, New Zealand, and Greece. It seems that the majority of these trips have also included flights aboard Crow’s Bombardier Global 5000 private jet. Non-yacht-involved trips also include annual stays at Crow’s private Adirondacks resort and his Texas ranch. I wonder why a right-wing billionaire real estate developer would want to curry so much favor with a sitting judge in the highest court in the nation. Probably just a coincidence. This whole investigation is more than likely a witch hunt. No witches here!
The 76-year-old Justice Thomas is the court’s longest-serving judge, receiving his appointment in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush.
Bradley Brownell writes for Jalopnik, which like The Root, is owned by G/O.
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