Clarence Thomas Discloses Trips Paid by GOP Donor

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Facts

  • In a delayed financial disclosure, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas documented that he accepted three trips involving private flights paid for by Texas billionaire Harlan Crow.1
  • The trips funded by the GOP mega-donor included a visit to an American Enterprise Institute event in Dallas, a trip to a Crow property in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, and an additional trip to Texas in February all via a private jet.2
  • In addition to new disclosures, the financial report amended previous disclosures to include a real estate transaction between Justice Thomas and Crow in 2014. A lawyer for the Justice said there had been no willful wrongdoing by the Justice and that errors in reporting were "strictly inadvertent."3
  • The disclosure comes as the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) faces criticism from Democratic politicians. In March 2023, the rules for financial disclosures were amended forcing senior-level government officials to disclose travel via private jets and lodging at private resorts; both Justices Thomas and Samuel Alito requested extensions for submitting their filings.4
  • The public anticipated the filing after ProPublica reporting revealed several private jet and private yacht trips funded by Crow throughout his 25-year friendship with Thomas. In addition to the trips, ProPublica reported that Crow has funded two years of tuition for Justice Thomas' grandnephew to attend boarding schools.5
  • To improve the ethics requirements of SCOTUS, Senate Democrats pushed and passed a bill in July that would require justices to adopt and adhere to a code of ethics. Republicans have refused to support the measure.2

Sources: 1Reuters, 2USA Today, 3CNN, 4NBC, and 5CBS.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by Newsweek. Democrats have relentlessly pursued the destruction of Justice Clarence Thomas' reputation. Questioning his ethics is just their latest attempt to display their hatred for who he is. Democrats strongly believe that a Black man should not be a conservative and disagree with the outlandish demands of their party. As long as he remains true to his beliefs, he will continue to the be subject of their unabashed attacks.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by Huffington Post. The recent reporting by ProPublica and now the financial disclosure clearly signal that it's time for an investigation into Justice Clarence Thomas and his unethical behavior. The Judicial Conference should complete a review and quickly refer this matter to the Justice Department. Justice Thomas continues to insult the intelligence of the public by saying he "accidentally" omitted critical information or believed it to be unnecessary for reporting. A full investigation by the Dept. of Justice is warranted.