Dems ripping Clarence Thomas for nondisclosure mum on Biden judges who may have same problem

Democrats pillorying Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for not disclosing paid vacations with political donor friends remained mum when pressed by Just The News about the nearly two dozen Biden-appointed judges who also left the reimbursement sections blank on their official disclosure forms. 

A Just The News review of the Biden appointees' disclosure forms found that not only did many leave their reimbursement sections blank, but almost none of them had any "gifts" to disclose. 

This alone does not prove wrongdoing, however when asked if these judges were being looked into as well, the White House, the Senate Judiciary Committee and the office of its chairman, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) had no response. 

An article published last week by ProPublica outlined trips Thomas had taken with GOP meagdonor Harlan Crow, one of which included travel on a chartered plane and yacht valued at over $500,000. 

"[Thomas] flies on Crow's Bombardier Global 5000 jet," the outlet reported. "He has gone with Crow to the Bohemian Grove, the exclusive California all-male retreat, and to Crow's sprawling ranch in East Texas. And Thomas typically spends about a week every summer at Crow's private resort in the Adirondacks." 

The story triggered a letter from Durbin and Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to Chief Justice John Roberts on Monday, asking for Thomas to be investigated internally.  

"The Senate Judiciary Committee, which has legislative jurisdiction over Federal courts and judges, has a role to play in ensuring that the nation's highest court does not have the federal judiciary's lowest ethical standards," the letter read. "You have a role to play as well, both in investigating how such conduct could take place at the Court under your watch, and in ensuring that such conduct does not happen again. We urge you to immediately open such an investigation and take all needed action to prevent further misconduct." 

The committee also promised to "hold a hearing" centered on restoring "confidence" in SCOTUS' ethical standards and even threatened to pass new legislation if Roberts opted not to investigate. 

"You do not need to wait for Congress to act to undertake your own investigation into the reported conduct and to ensure that it cannot happen again," the Democratic lawmakers wrote. "We urge you to do so." 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) took things a step further, calling for Thomas' impeachment and accusing the Roberts court of human rights violations in a tweet last week. 

"This is beyond party or partisanship," she wrote. "This degree of corruption is shocking — almost cartoonish. Thomas must be impeached. Barring some dramatic change, this is what the Roberts court will be known for: rank corruption, erosion of democracy, and the stripping of human rights." 

The political fallout from the story caused Thomas to issue a rare public response, in which he defended his actions, stating he was in the right after seeking counsel from other court members. He pointed out that the people he was vacationing with were close personal friends and had no business before the high court. 

"Harlan and Kathy Crow are among our dearest friends, and we have been friends for over twenty-five years," the statement read. "As friends do, we have joined them on a number of family trips during the more than quarter century we have known them. Early in my tenure at the Court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable. I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure, and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines.

"These guidelines are now being changed, as the committee of the Judicial Conference responsible for financial disclosure for the entire federal judiciary just this past month announced new guidance. And, it is, of course, my intent to follow this guidance in the future." 

Legal commentator and chair of Public Interest Law at George Washington University Jonathan Turley dismissed the allegations against Thomas on Twitter last week, writing: "We can debate the need for a code of ethics that apply to the justices, but there was no clear reporting obligation under judicial ethics for Thomas in such matters of 'personal hospitality.'"

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