A group of House Democrats, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday to call for a Department of Justice investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
The letter comes in the wake of a report alleging Thomas accepted more luxury vacations and other lavish gifts than had been previously known. The ProPublica report, published Thursday, claims that the associate justice has accepted at least 38 vacations, 26 international private jet flights (plus an additional eight by helicopter), 12 VIP passes to sporting events, and two resort stays during his time on the court. The report also revealed his ties to a number of billionaire benefactors.
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Democrats claim Thomas has failed for decades to disclose information under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, which they point out can carry both civil and criminal legal penalties.
“Justice Thomas’s consistent failure to disclose gifts and benefits from industry magnates and wealthy, politically active executives highlights a blatant disregard for judicial ethics as well as apparent legal violations,” the Democrats write in the letter. “No individual, regardless of their position or stature, should be exempt from legal scrutiny for lawbreaking.”
In addition to Ocasio-Cortez, the letter was signed by Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Ted Lieu (D-CA), and Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA).
A group of top House Democrats, led by AOC, send a letter to AG Garland calling for a DOJ investigation into Clarence Thomas: pic.twitter.com/iyOVAcTVju
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) August 11, 2023
In addition to the Thursday story, ProPublica reported earlier this year that Thomas accepted luxury trips and gifts from billionaire GOP donor Harlan Crow, which he did not include in financial disclosure forms. The outlet also published an article detailing a luxury fishing trip Justice Samuel Alito accepted in 2008.
“The integrity of our judicial system hinges on the impartiality and transparency of its members,” the lawmakers write. “As a Supreme Court justice and high constitutional officer, Justice Thomas should be held to the highest standard, not the lowest — and he certainly shouldn’t be allowed to violate federal law.”
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Cassie Severino, who leads the Judicial Crisis Network and who once clerked for Thomas, wrote on the social media website X, “If you had a team of journalists constantly digging for supposed ‘ethics’ violations involving Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, Jackson, or Ginsburg and Breyer when they were on the Court. You would find the same and more.”
“But left-wing dark money backed ProPublica is singularly interested in targeting the conservatives on the Court, and Justice Thomas is their number #1 target because the Left hates him the most,” she added.
