Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has taken dozens of luxurious trips funded by a major Republican donor, a new report alleges, but Thomas says he did ask for guidance before continuing to receive gifts from his long-time friends, the Crows.
On Thursday, the investigative journalism organization, ProPublica, published a report detailing dozens of trips that Thomas and his wife, Ginni Thomas, took, which were paid for by Republican donor Harlan Crow, citing interviews and documents related to the travel.
The report comes as Thomas has continued to face public scrutiny over the past several months. In September, the Supreme Court received its lowest approval rating among Americans, according to a poll from Gallup, as only 40 percent said they approved. Additionally, Thomas has faced calls for his resignation after reports showed his wife, Ginni, advocated for overturning the results of the 2020 election.
"Timely reminder that Clarence Thomas heard election cases while his wife conspired to overthrow democracy. Clarence Thomas is corrupt as hell and should resign from the Supreme Court," New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell Jr. wrote on Twitter in December.
Newsweek has compiled some of the biggest bombshells from the ProPublica report.
Biggest Bombshells from Clarence Thomas Report:
Accepted trips from Crow for over 20 years:
According to the report, Thomas and his wife took trips paid for by Crow almost on a yearly basis for over two decades. The report states interviews and documents detailed Thomas traveled on Crow's yacht, as well as his jet. Thomas vacationed with Crow to the Bohemian Grove retreat, a campground in California where powerful individuals are known to gather. Thomas has also traveled to a private resort in the Adirondacks owned by Crow, the report said.
No Known Precedent:
The ProPublica report notes that while the full extent of all the trips Thomas has taken on Crow's behalf is unknown, there has never been a similar situation like this in the history of the Supreme Court.
Nancy Gertner, a former federal judge appointed by former President Bill Clinton told ProPublica, "It's incomprehensible to me that someone would do this."
Trips not disclosed:
Many of the trips reported by ProPublica were not disclosed by Thomas, which may be an ethics violation. According to ProPublica, a law requires Supreme Court Justices and members of Congress to financially disclose certain gifts they receive, and Thomas did not disclose the trips he took on Crow's yacht or his jet.
However, ProPublica reported that Thomas has disclosed some of the gifts he's received from Crowe such as a bible owned by Frederick Douglas worth nearly $20,000.
What Have Thomas and Crow Said?
On Friday, Thomas issued a statement responding to the report which said, "Harlan and Kathy Crow are among our dearest friends, and we have been friends for over twenty-five years. 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," the statement which was obtained by Newsweek said. "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."
In a statement sent to ProPublica, Crow said, "The hospitality we have extended to the Thomas's 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."
"More generally, I am unaware of any of our friends ever lobbying or seeking to influence Justice Thomas on any case, and I would never invite anyone who I believe had any intention of doing that. These are gatherings of friends," the statement added.
Update: 4/7/23, 11:35 a.m. ET. This story has been updated to include a statement issued by Clarence Thomas responding to the report.
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