Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Friday faced new backlash after disclosing two previously paid-for vacations he took on Republican megadonor Harlan Crow's dime.
In the financial report dated May 15, 2024, Thomas added information related to 2019 vacations. The filing says, in part, "During the preparation and filing of this report, filer sought and received guidance from his accountant and ethics counsel."
The report also notes, "Consistent with the review of prior filings that the filer began last year, report for calendar year 2019 is hereby amended to include the following entries under the reimbursement section, which was inadvertently omitted at the time of filing."
The report then lists a trip to Bali, Indonesia, on July 12, 2019. The source of the trip is listed as Harlan and Cathy Crow. Items paid or provided are listed as food and lodging at a hotel and the purpose is noted as "guest of source."
The second trip listed is to Monte Rio, California, dated July 18-21, 2019. The purpose was also listed as "guest of source," with the source listed as Harlan Crow. Items paid or provided were food and lodging at a private club, the report says.
Newsweek has reached out to the Supreme Court and Crow Holdings on Friday via email for additional comment.
Harlan Crow and Thomas previously came under fire after a ProPublica report published in April 2023 detailed "luxury trips" accepted by the justice. Thomas then issued a statement defending the trips, saying in part, "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," the statement previously obtained by Newsweek said.
Crow also issued a statement noted in ProPublica, saying in part, "The hospitality we have extended to the Thomas's [sic] over the years is no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dear friends ... We have never asked about a pending or lower court case, and Justice Thomas has never discussed one, and we have never sought to influence Justice Thomas on any legal or political issue."
The new financial report spurred many social media users to blast Thomas on Friday.
Attorney George Conway, frequent critic of former President Donald Trump, said on X, formerly Twitter, "I'm sorry. It's long past time for there to be a comprehensive criminal investigation, and congressional investigation, of Justice Thomas and his finances and his taxes. What he has taken, and what he has failed to disclose, is beyond belief, and has been so for quite some time."
I’m sorry. It’s long past time
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) June 7, 2024
for there to be a comprehensive criminal investigation, and congressional investigation, of Justice Thomas and his finances and his taxes. What he has taken, and what he has failed to disclose, is beyond belief, and has been so for quite some… https://t.co/dYfRliUIxh
Jeff Timmer, senior advisor to The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump Republican political action committee, also posted to X, saying: "Clarence Thomas is corrupt. Any argument to the contrary is absurd and indefensible."
Producer Armand Hamouth said on X, "There's not much left that can be said about Thomas's lack of candor."
X account @JoJoFromJerz, with over 900,000 followers, also said on X, "I'm sure he just 'forgot' about that trip."
Florida's Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg told Newsweek on Friday, "This will have no impact on the Supreme Court, which creates and interprets its own ethics rules. They are the arbiters of their own ethics questions and do not seem to care about public sentiment."
Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas came to Thomas' defense on Friday, saying on X, "The smears against the great Justice Clarence Thomas are nothing more than bad-faith attempts to intimidate the Court. If leftists can't control an institution, they try to delegitimize it."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiTmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5ld3N3ZWVrLmNvbS9jbGFyZW5jZS10aG9tYXMtYmxhc3RlZC1kaXNjbG9zaW5nLWNyb3ctdHJpcHMtMTkwOTk0MNIBAA?oc=5
2024-06-07 22:03:02Z
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