The Associated Press just released an in-depth study on how access to the Supreme Court has been bought over the years. On one end, deep-pocket donors are invited to public speaking engagements with ideologically aligned justices, but the collection plate is tastefully hidden until after the fact. On the other end, public events morph into exclusive junkets with prolonged, personal access extended over days. No justice has benefitted from the symbiosis — or the luxury — more than Clarence Thomas.
Gifts lavished on Thomas and his crusading wife Ginni taste, feel, and smell uber lux: island hopping on staffed superyachts; pampered vacations worth millions over two decades; bougie boarding school tuition; a free refurbished home for mom; disguised provocateur 'fees' for Ginni; and exclusive travel on private aircraft meant for heads of state.
