Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas reportedly went on free luxury vacations worth millions for years courtesy of a wealthy right-wing donor without disclosing the pricey trips as required by law.
The archconservative judge and his wife, Ginni Thomas, flew on private jets, cruised on a megayacht and enjoyed an annual weeklong holiday in a plush Adirondacks retreat without paying a dime, the news site Pro Publica reported Thursday.
Ethics experts say Thomas appears to have brazenly violated federal laws requiring judges to disclose all gifts of more than a nominal value.
One island-hopping 2019 trip to Indonesia alone was valued at more than $500,000. Clarence Thomas, who cultivates an everyman image and claims he avoids exclusive vacation spots, didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow said he invited Clarence and Ginni Thomas to join him on the luxe jaunts, and insisted it was “no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dear friends.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., renewed her call for Thomas to be impeached over the junkets, which she called “rank corruption.”
“This degree of corruption is shocking — almost cartoonish,” the progressive lawmaker tweeted.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the Senate Judiciary Committee would “take action” in response to the bombshell report.
Crow, a real estate magnate, is a major right-wing donor and has given at least $10 million to Republican and conservative causes, some of which aim to shape the judiciary.
He insists that he never discussed pending cases with Thomas, who earns $275,000 a year.
There is no specific code of ethics for Supreme Court justices. But all federal judges are required to submit disclosure forms listing gifts.
Ethics experts and former judges say Thomas should have included the expensive trips, whether Crow is a friend or not.
“Failing to mention all-expense-paid international vacations, gifts of historic artifacts, and private confabs with avowed political activists for over 20 years cannot be chalked up to a string of innocent mistakes,” said Jeff Hauser of the Revolving Door Project, an ethics in government group. “This is a pattern of open contempt for American law.”
The Thomases have enjoyed Crow’s extravagant hospitality almost every year for about two decades.
The judge went on a plush trip to Crow’s all-male California resort. He also has taken an annual weeklong trip to Camp Topridge, a 105-acre private lakeside retreat in far upstate New York, where he often rubs elbows with right-wing political operatives and corporate big wigs.
The most extreme luxury trip took place in 2019 when the Thomases flew to Indonesia on Crow’s jet and used his 162-foot yacht to visit a string of picturesque volcanic islands.
The Thomases have been under a harsh spotlight in recent months because of the judge’s refusal to recuse himself from cases involving former President Donald Trump’s scheme to overturn the 2020 election.
Ginni Thomas is a prominent conservative activist and was an active participant in the failed effort to keep Trump in power. She regularly communicated with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to push the plan that culminated with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Clarence Thomas insisted on taking part in the top court’s deliberations about whether the congressional Jan. 6 committee had the right to demand the messages even though his wife’s messages were included.
The court wound up ruling 8-1 in favor of the committee, with Thomas being the only objector.
Some Democrats are pushing for court reforms that would include stricter rules or at least guidelines for when Supreme Court justices should step aside to avoid conflicts of interest.
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