Kellyanne Conway Responds to Ginni Thomas Billing Scandal

Kellyanne Conway has responded to allegations that her firm made a $25,000 payment to Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, around 10 years ago.

The Washington Post reported that the former senior counselor to Donald Trump made the payment through her firm, The Polling Company, at the request of conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo—the present co-chairman and former executive vice president of the conservative Federalist Society.

Leo reportedly directed Conway to "give" Thomas "another $25K" without "no mention of Ginni, of course," according to documents reviewed by the Post. Leo's nonprofit, the Judicial Education Project (JEP), reportedly received the money the same day and was listed as "Supplement for Constitution Polling and Opinion Consulting" per Leo's instructions.

Conway, during an interview with Fox News following the new report, referred to Leo's quote about wanting "to protect the privacy" of the justice and his wife due to knowing "how disrespectful, malicious and gossipy people can be."

Ginni Thomas was one of her contractors in this instance, Conway added, and worked with the Heritage Foundation and in the Reagan administration.

She said her firm never had any business in front of the court.

"Viciousness from 10 years ago, 11 years ago, has turned into violence now where people are outside of Supreme Court justices' homes, trying to assassinate Justice Kavanaugh while his wife and daughters are sleeping in that home," Conway said. "These people will stop at nothing. They want Clarence Thomas to resign so Joe Biden, of all people, can replace him with one of his own."

Leo, in a statement provided to Newsweek, defended the payment and echoed Conway's words about Ginni Thomas never being involved with the Supreme Court's business or other legal issues.

He added that as an advisor to JEP he has long been supportive of its opinion research relating to limited government, and that The Polling Company and Ginni Thomas's help have provided "an invaluable resource for gauging public attitudes."

"[Clarence and Ginni Thomas] are dear friends and are people of tremendous good will and integrity," said Leo, who has known Clarence and Ginni Thomas since 1990. "Anybody who thinks that Justice Thomas is influenced in his work by what others say or do, including his wife Ginni, is completely ignorant of who this man is and what he stands for.

"And anybody who thinks Ginni Thomas would seek to influence the Supreme Court's work is completely ignorant of the respect she has for her husband and the important role that he and his colleagues play in our society."

He made no mention of the total amount of money directed to Thomas from his nonprofit.

Newsweek reached out to Conway via her website.

Attorney and political analyst Andrew Lieb told Newsweek that Leo's directed payment to Ginni Thomas "presents the clearest appearance of impropriety that can happen in our judiciary today."

"We could go after Kellyanne Conway's involvement in purportedly passing the money to keep Ginni Thomas' name off the billing paperwork, but that misses the point—which is why did Justice Thomas rule on cases where Leo filed amicus briefs?" Lieb said. "Under applicable law, justices should recuse if their 'impartiality might reasonably be questioned.' Well, we are all questioning it."

Lieb was referring to the Post's reporting that the Polling Company paid Ginni Thomas's firm, Liberty Consulting, $80,000 between June 2011 and June 2012.

In December 2012, the JEP submitted an amicus brief in Shelby County v. Holder—a case which was struck down by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision that included Clarence Thomas, disproportionately affecting certain facets of the Voting Rights Act in relation to minority citizens.

Ginni Thomas has gained recent public notoriety years due to her alleged involvement with January 6 and purported attempts to attempt to overturn the 2020 election in Donald Trump's favor.

She previously met with the January 6 Committee and made statements that former Vice President Mike Pence "prematurely" conceded the election.

Clarence Thomas, a Supreme Court justice since 1991, has faced new scrutiny for his association with mega Republican donor Harlan Crow, who allegedly financed dozens of luxury trips for the justice and his wife.

Crow and Thomas have also been linked to allegedly undisclosed real estate property sales and the paying of expensive boarding school tuition.

Update 05/05/23, 3:12 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Leonard Leo.