Clarence Thomas accepted secret luxury trips from GOP megadonor for decades, Report

[Edge-]

https://www.propublica.org/article/c...vel-gifts-crow

Link to the direct source. Reporting is lengthy so I'm copying from coverage of that reporting that is a bit briefer - https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/06/clar...ps-report.html

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has accepted secret luxury trips from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow for more than two decades in apparent violation of a financial disclosure law, a ProPublica report revealed Thursday.

Thomas has vacationed on Crow’s 162-foot superyacht, flown on the real estate developer’s private jet and spent time at the GOP donor’s private resort and other exclusive retreats, ProPublica reported, citing documents and dozens of interviews.

Thomas, the 74-year-old conservative associate justice who has served on the nation’s highest court since 1991, has not reported the trips on his financial disclosures as required by law, the nonprofit newsroom reported.

The investigation offers more fuel for Thomas’ critics, who say his refusal to recuse himself from cases touching on issues related to his wife’s political work in conservative circles — including her involvement in schemes to overturn the 2020 election — poses a conflict of interest.

Ethics experts and ex-judges interviewed by ProPublica were incredulous. Thomas “seems to have completely disregarded his higher ethical obligations,” Virginia Canter, chief ethics counsel at the watchdog group CREW, told the outlet.

“When a justice’s lifestyle is being subsidized by the rich and famous, it absolutely corrodes public trust,” Canter said.

Spokespeople for the Supreme Court and Crow did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the investigation.

In a statement to ProPublica, Crow said, “The hospitality we have extended to the Thomas’s over the years is no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dear friends.”

Thomas and his wife, Ginni Thomas, “never asked” for any of the gifts, nor for any of the contributions the Crows have made to projects celebrating the justice’s “life and legacy,” the megadonor said. Crow added that he and his wife “have never asked about a pending or lower court case, and Justice Thomas has never discussed one, and we have never sought to influence Justice Thomas on any legal or political issue.”

Crow, a Texas real estate magnate, became friends with Thomas after he joined the Supreme Court. He has given more than $10 million in publicly disclosed political donations, and unknown amounts to groups that aren’t required to reveal their donors, ProPublica reported.

Thomas typically spends about a week each summer at Topridge, Crow’s private lakeside resort in the Adirondacks, and flight records show he has used Crow’s plane numerous times, according to the news outlet.

Supreme Court justices are constrained by fewer ethical restrictions than lower rungs of the judiciary. Some groups have called to implement a code of ethics for the high court.

But justices still submit financial disclosures, and experts say they are required to disclose all gifts valued at more than $415. While there are exceptions to that requirement, transportation is not one of them.

“If Justice Thomas received free travel on private planes and yachts, failure to report the gifts is a violation of the disclosure law,” Kedric Payne, senior ethics director for the Campaign Legal Center, told the outlet.

Another brazen example of specifically Thomas's violation of basic ethical norms and expectations. This should absolutely be impeachment worthy on top of his other ethical breaches including the number of times he's heard arguments from lawyers whom have direct financial business with his wife and that fact is not disclosed until after the case, or at all.

In any normal country and time this would be an offense that makes impeachment a strong and realistic possibility given the reputational damage should do to Thomas and the credibility he'd lose over it...but that's all doubtful because we all know Republicans will want to protect their bullshit 6:3 majority. And have had precisely zero problems with Clarence Thomas to date because he consistently gives them the rulings they want.

[Yetanothernewbie]

Gosh if only we had actually listened to Anita Hill about this bloated shitbag of a person. Can't wait to see how the local conservative shills try to spin this.

[Draco-Onis]

One of the judges that legalized bribery was taking bribes /surprised pikachu.

[Elder Millennial]

If the press had any sense of professionalism, they'd spend the rest of the year, hounding Thomas 24/7 for detailed comments.

This court as it stands, is completely and utterly discredited. They might still hold legal power, but no shred of integrity or moral ground.

[jonnysensible]

the 'gifts' are 500k a pop. going on for years = millions in undeclared tax shenanigans?

[bladeXcrasher]

So, the GOP gonna drain the SCotUS swamp of Thomas? LOL

[Milchshake]

I imagine John Roberts be like:
Damn this really sucks…we must immediately investigate how this info got leaked!

Just kidding.

Imagine you're, idk, say, a hypothetical chief justice named ROhn Joberts, and you *aren't* on the take.
How much does it suck to realize that everyone thinks you're just as grubbily and obliviously corrupt as Clarence Thomas?

[Bakis]

Juridical appointment by voters, in turn run on campaigns based on donors more specifically rich donor impact.
Just icing on the cake that a career can lead to a seat at the Supreme Court.

Working as intended who can possibly see any issue with fully donor driven appointments in the juridical system.

[Shadowferal]

GOP billionaire who funded Clarence Thomas's vacations has also given thousands of dollars to Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin

[Paranoid Android]

Why do I come to this site or open news feeds every day. I just get more and more angry.

So I wanted to start out by saying the most corrupt Justice of all time. Well, I'm not a historian on SC Justices or how do you measure. Used the ole Google machine and most article talked about rulings, many based on ruling of slavery laws. None mentioned money or having such close ties with an insurrection as Thomas.

Roberts won't do shit. Dems will cry a little bit, but what else can you do. Republicans will sneakily laugh behind closed doors. Since you can't do anything (yes you can impeach) he is there. Likely be the person who hangs on enough until a Republican Prez and Senate come in and will be replaced. Now, can anyone be worse? All help us if they find someone worse.

[The Stormbringer]

IMPEACH HIM NOW! Get rid of this fucker! Kick him out right now, god dammit.

[Shadowferal]

Adding more shit to shit
brother to billionaire is allegedly involved in human trafficking

It’s a good investigation except it omits a salient point: the benefator, Harlan Crow, is a member of the infamous Crow family of Texas. The late father was Trammel Crow, Sr,, once labelled the largest landlord in America. Trammel Sr. had volumes of soap opera scandals.

But even worse: just two weeks ago, Harlan’s brother, Trammel Jr, was sued in a human trafficking scandal. ProPublica kind of missed that point.

[Draco-Onis]

Adding more shit to shit
brother to billionaire is allegedly involved in human trafficking

It’s a good investigation except it omits a salient point: the benefator, Harlan Crow, is a member of the infamous Crow family of Texas. The late father was Trammel Crow, Sr,, once labelled the largest landlord in America. Trammel Sr. had volumes of soap opera scandals.

But even worse: just two weeks ago, Harlan’s brother, Trammel Jr, was sued in a human trafficking scandal. ProPublica kind of missed that point.

But of course considering Thomas and his wife are Qanon lunatics it makes sense they are simply projecting.

[enigma77]

I am shocked

[Endus]

IMPEACH HIM NOW! Get rid of this fucker! Kick him out right now, god dammit.

"Fun" intellectual exercise;

Impeach him for what, exactly? SCOTUS judges have no ethical code of conduct they're beholden to. Thomas could literally come out and talk to press and openly admit "yes, I took money in exchange for judicial favor in my rulings from the bench, as a bribe. And you can all such my big fat dick about it." The only really possible issue here is whether he claimed it properly in his taxes.

Yes, this is colossally fuckin' stupid at a systemic level. But that's the American Supreme Court.

[Edge-]

"Fun" intellectual exercise;

Impeach him for what, exactly? SCOTUS judges have no ethical code of conduct they're beholden to. Thomas could literally come out and talk to press and openly admit "yes, I took money in exchange for judicial favor in my rulings from the bench, as a bribe. And you can all such my big fat dick about it." The only really possible issue here is whether he claimed it properly in his taxes.

Yes, this is colossally fuckin' stupid at a systemic level. But that's the American Supreme Court.

It's a political process so really, for anything. I say this though knowing full well there's zero chance a single Republican will agree this apparently massive breach in ethics that completely compromises his ability to operate as a Justice actually does that. Instead they'll probably complain that Justice Jackson keeps writing opinions that are critical of the majority because that's just not very nice of her.

[fwc577]

https://www.commondreams.org/news/im...s-luxury-trips

One observer urged congressional Democrats to "put Republicans on the record supporting this level of corruption, and make the corrupt judiciary a campaign issue."

Exactly. if crooked Donnie ends up being the nominee. Put him and the corrupt judiciary front and center. They want to steal your rights (abortion, marriage) and they want to steal your money, jobs, and freedoms!

Make sure the Republicans, in their current form, don't survive 2024.

[Edge-]

So the LA Times is taking a bit of an earned victory lap on this topic.

https://www.latimes.com/politics/sto...isclosing-them

It was 2004 when the Los Angeles Times disclosed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had accepted expensive gifts and private plane trips paid for by Harlan Crow, a wealthy Texas real estate investor and a prominent Republican donor.
The gifts included a Bible that once belonged to abolitionist Frederick Douglass — a gift Thomas valued at $19,000 — and a bust of Abraham Lincoln valued at $15,000.

“I just knew he was a fan of Frederick Douglass, and I saw that item come available at an auction and I bought it for him,” Crow explained at the time.

He also flew Thomas on his personal plane to Northern California to be his guest at the Bohemian Grove, which held all-male retreats for government and business leaders.

Thomas refused to comment on the article, but it had an impact: Thomas appears to have continued accepting free trips from his wealthy friend. But he stopped disclosing them.

On Thursday, ProPublica reported that Thomas and his wife, Ginni, enjoyed lavish trips across the globe in recent years at Crow’s expense, including “nine days of island-hopping” off Indonesia in 2019 aboard a 162-foot “superyacht staffed by a coterie of attendants and a private chef.”

That’s a stark contrast from the way Thomas often speaks in public about his summer travels, describing driving a blue motor home and staying in campgrounds.

But ProPublica reported that his summer trips regularly include stays in private resorts paid for by Crow, including at Crow’s ranch in East Texas and his resort in the Adirondacks in upstate New York.

“The extent and frequency of Crow’s apparent gifts to Thomas have no known precedent in the modern history of the U.S. Supreme Court,” ProPublica wrote, adding “these trips appeared nowhere on Thomas’ financial disclosures.

It remains unclear whether Thomas has violated any law or regulation by accepting such gifts and not disclosing them.

Since 1978, the Ethics in Government Act has required judges and justices to report travel costs and other expenses that are provided to them by groups, universities and other such entities. However, it includes an exception for the “personal hospitality of any individual,” so long as the travel does not involve official business.

“Justice Thomas and Ginni never asked for any of this hospitality,” Crow said in a statement to ProPublica. He added that we “never asked about a pending or lower court case, and Justice Thomas has never discussed one.”

Ethics advocates have been frustrated that the court and Congress have failed to enforce stricter rules for the nation’s top judges. They say Thomas and his wife illustrate the need for greater scrutiny.

Ginni Thomas is a longtime conservative activist in Washington who sought to overturn President Trump’s election loss in 2020, including communicating with Trump White House aides and state election officials.

“We have been here before,” said Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, an advocate for court reform. “Clarence Thomas has been taking these trips for decades and not disclosing them.”

In his recent annual disclosure statements, Thomas has checked a box indicating he had no gifts to report.

Responding to the ProPublica story, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) tweeted “the highest court in the land shouldn’t have the lowest ethical standard. Justice Thomas’ lavish undisclosed trips with a GOP mega-donor undermine the trust that our country places in the Supreme Court. Time for an enforceable code of conduct for justices.”

Last month, the federal court’s policy-making group announced somewhat tighter standards to require the reporting of travel on private jets and lodging at private resorts that operate commercially.

While those rules may prompt further disclosures next year, they would not regulate or prohibit such travel.

Roth said ProPublica’s report makes clear that “the personal hospitality rules the judiciary adopted last month do not go far enough: the Supreme Court and lower courts need the same, if not stricter, gift and travel rules than what members of Congress have. That means a judicial ethics office to preapprove sponsored trips, no matter who — even a ‘friend’ — is footing the bill.”

Which sure seems to establish clear intent on the part of Clarence to cover up and/or otherwise hide these gifts.

We know none of this matters. But not for nothing, I hope Chief Justice Robers is starting to feel the early signs of a whopper of another ulcer over this.

[Lynarii]

https://www.commondreams.org/news/im...s-luxury-trips



Exactly. if crooked Donnie ends up being the nominee. Put him and the corrupt judiciary front and center. They want to steal your rights (abortion, marriage) and they want to steal your money, jobs, and freedoms!

Make sure the Republicans, in their current form, don't survive 2024.

Except that the right wing in America openly desires corruption of this type. Hell, we see it with posters here, we all know who will come posting to say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with this and what about the Twitter files? We can talk about judicial corruption and bribery all we want, but that'll just make them happier.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

Imagine you're, idk, say, a hypothetical chief justice named ROhn Joberts, and you *aren't* on the take.
How much does it suck to realize that everyone thinks you're just as grubbily and obliviously corrupt as Clarence Thomas?

I imagine that John Roberts, who was nominated for SCJ by President George W. Bush, after only serving for 2 years in the job he was nominated for by President George W. Bush, had previously served under President George H.W. Bush, and later worked as an advisor to Governor Jeb Bush... might know a little something about corruption.