Clarence Thomas’ time on the bench has been nothing short of a grossly corrupt caricature of what a Supreme Court Justice should be like. The New York Times reports that Thomas amended an earlier filing to include lavish vacations to Bali and an exclusive California club paid for by Texas billionaire Harlan Crow. This is just appalling. ProPublica revealed these trips recently, so now Thomas is admitting to it after first claiming he didn’t need to report them. Clarence Thomas is the swamp.
Via the Times:
The financial disclosures, released yearly, are one of the few public records available about the justices’ lives, providing select details of their activities outside the court. A steady drumbeat of revelations about ties between some of the justices and wealthy donors has only intensified interest in the reports, particularly after disclosures that Justice Thomas had accepted luxury travel and gifts from billionaire friends over decades.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. was granted an extension this year, said the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, which offers support for the federal judiciary and handles the financial records. That is in keeping with his typical practice. According to Fix the Court, an advocacy group critical of the court’s lack of transparency, for more than a decade he has delayed filing his disclosure.
Last year, both Justice Thomas and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. requested and received extensions on filing their disclosure forms. Neither cited a reason in asking for a delay.
An “inadvertent omission”:
When his form was released to the public, Justice Thomas included an unusual addendum, a statement defending his acceptance of gifts from Harlan Crow, a real estate magnate in Texas and a donor to conservative causes. He had “inadvertently omitted” information on earlier forms, the statement said, which also sought to justify his decision to fly on private jets. He stated that he had been advised to avoid commercial travel after the leak of the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.
I don’t think he knows what inadvertent means. He’s not very good at explaining his financial situation. For example, when trying to explain why he has a hugely expensive RV that his rich buddies helped him pay for, Thomas said he likes to drive to Walmarts and RV parks so he can hang with the regular folks.
CAN YOU IMAGINE GINNI THOMAS IN A WALMART PARKING LOT? OK, well maybe if she was eating caviar while wearing a monocle to peek out at the poor rubes in the parking lot.
Via Politico:
Thomas later said he’d been advised by ethics officials that “personal hospitality” from friends did not need to be reported. However, the new filing appears to be a concession that whatever ambiguity may have existed around travel on private jets or yachts, gifts of stays at hotels or clubs owned by third parties have long been required to be disclosed.
George Conway isn’t buying it, either. Conway, a conservative attorney, took to Xitter to call for a criminal investigation.
Even conservatives have had enough of his shit. Well, one has. Thomas is the exact reason there needs to be accountability at the Supreme Court. It’s not like we’re asking for a lot here. He’s bringing in millions of dollars from his rich buddies, who, I’m sure, want something in return.
Ed. Note: The last time there was an “inadvertent omission”, Thomas “forgot” to report Ginni Thomas’ $700,000 paycheck also fronted by Harlan Crow. If Thomas can’t manage to keep track of his own finances, why should anyone think he’s competent to sit on the bench?
