Clarence Thomas: How Luxury Gifts and Trips Could Cost Him an Impeachment
An investigation by ProPublica revealed that Justice Clarence Thomas accepted multiple gifts and luxury trips from a GOP megadonor without disclosing them.
Clarence Thomas and his wife Virginia Thomas, a conservative activist, accepted several unaccounted luxury trips for almost two decades. These trips were usually sponsored by Harlan Crow, a real-estate billionaire and a megadonor of the Republicans. According to ProPublica, Thomas had consistently failed to disclose the hospitality he was offered on his public financial filings with the Supreme Court.
Crow accompanied the conservative Justice on trips to destinations such as Indonesia, New Zealand, and Georgia. Furthermore, his lavish trips included extended stays on Crow’s yacht, private jets, and an all-male private retreat in Monte Rio, California.
The Government Act of 1978 states that justices (like federal judges) are required to file a financial disclosure for gifts worth more than $415. They practice this law to avoid the “appearance of impropriety.” Additionally, ProPublica reported that the cost of one of the trips with Crow may have exceeded $500,000.
His failure to report the flights appears to violate a law passed after Watergate that requires justices, judges, members of Congress and federal officials to disclose most gifts, two ethics law experts said. Stunning reporting here. @propublica https://t.co/rNvzJIBqpw
— Ginger Thompson (@gingerthomp1) April 6, 2023
Justice Thomas states that he was “advised by colleagues and others in the judiciary” to not disclose his gifts. He adds, “Personal hospitality from close friends, who did not have business before the court, was not reportable.”
Moreover, Crow denied any motive to politically influence Justice Thomas by offering sponsored luxury trips. Crow insisted, “The hospitality extended to the Thomases over the years is no different from the hospitality extended to our other friends.”
However, lawmakers and some government officials are urging justices to abide by stricter codes of conduct. Some even want to hold Justice Thomas not only accountable but want him to also step down from his position.
This is beyond party or partisanship. This degree of corruption is shocking – almost cartoonish. Thomas must be impeached.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 6, 2023
Barring some dramatic change, this is what the Roberts court will be known for: rank corruption, erosion of democracy, and the stripping of human rights. https://t.co/t8fnGLVhbV
Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez called for conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s impeachment. Cortez took to Twitter to state, “This is beyond party or partisanship. This degree of corruption is shocking – almost cartoonish.”
The chief ethics counsel of the watchdog group CREW, Virginia Canter, also expressed her disappointment with Justice Thomas. She stated, “When a justice’s lifestyle is being subsidized by the rich and famous, it absolutely corrodes public trust.”
To read ProPublica’s complete report on the matter of Clarence Thomas and Harlan Crow, click here.
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