(RightWing.org) – Democrats started pushing for legislation creating a code of ethics for the Supreme Court after ProPublica published a report in April revealing that Justice Clarence Thomas had accepted luxury trips from Republican megadonor and real estate magnate Harlan Crow. The nonprofit news organization reviewed Thomas’ annual financial disclosure reports and confirmed he didn’t list any of that hospitality.
Crow issued a statement acknowledging that he provided “hospitality” to Thomas and his wife “over the years” but said it wasn’t any different than trips he extended to other “dear friends.” He also said he never discussed pending or lower court cases and never “sought to influence” the Supreme Court justice on a political or legal issue. Thomas has remained relatively quiet about the controversy.
Taking a cue from Liberal lawmakers, Thomas listed recent perks in his latest financial disclosure. Predictably, Democrats started crying foul from the mountaintops —- confirming the adage that “you can’t win with some people.”
Justice Clarence Thomas Lists New Hospitality Reimbursements
On August 31, Thomas filed his annual Financial Disclosure Report for 2022. He listed three instances where he received reimbursement from Crow related to travel and speaking engagements.
- February 3 to 5: Transportation (return flight only) due to an “unexpected ice storm.” Thomas gave the keynote speech at an American Enterprise Institute Conference in Dallas. He also received reimbursement for meals.
- May 12 to 14: Transportation and meals. A second keynote speech by Thomas at an American Enterprise Institute conference.
- July 7 to 13: Transportation, meals, and lodging while a guest of Harlan Crow in Keese Mill, New York.
Likewise, Thomas listed reimbursement for transportation, meals, and lodging from March 10 to 12. He gave the featured speech that weekend at the Hatch Center, home of the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation. Named for the late Senator for Utah, the foundation fosters “commonsense solutions” to the country’s “pressing problems,” facilitates “bipartisan dialogue,” and promotes civic understanding and participation.
Additionally, Thomas listed inadvertent omissions related to his bank account at the Congressional Federal Credit Union and his wife’s life insurance policy for the calendar years 2017 through 2019. None of the combined bank account balances reached $50,000 and earned less than $400 in interest.
Thomas also listed the omission of the sales of his mother’s house and two additional properties on the same street to Crow in 2014. He explained on the form that “Committee staff” advised him to remove the properties from his disclosure forms once he stopped receiving rental income from the houses not occupied by his mother. However, he “failed to realize” that the sale of the properties “triggered” a reporting requirement even though the sales transaction resulted in a capital loss for the justice.
As one might expect, Democratic lawmakers slammed Thomas. In July, the Democratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee advanced legislation (S.359) imposing ethics rules on the Supreme Court. However, the bill’s passage in a split chamber appears unlikely, and most political observers don’t expect the Republican-led House to consider the measure.
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