Five key House Democrats are calling on the Justice Department to investigate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas under the Ethics in Government Act, after new reporting reveals he has accepted even more gifts from wealthy benefactors without following disclosure laws than was previously known. Federal judges are required to disclose gifts worth more than $1,000, including travel.
New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the vice ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, wrote the letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, co-signed by Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler, Oversight Committee member Jamie Raskin and Democratic Caucus vice chair, Congressman Ted Lieu. It reads, “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 letter was sent one day after ProPublica published a bombshell new report last Thursday filled with details about a group of conservative billionaires who have given Justice Thomas free trips and gifts. Earlier this year, the outlet revealed Texas real estate billionaire, GOP megadonor Harlan Crow had showered Justice Thomas with vacations, private jets, the purchase of his mother’s house in Georgia and tuition payments. Now ProPublica reports three other business magnates, quote,
— source democracynow.org | Aug 16, 2023