Massachusetts Democratic Senator Ed Markey called on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to resign this week, saying that his "reputation is unsalvageable."
"I will say what needs to be said. Clarence Thomas should resign from the Supreme Court of the United States," Markey said while speaking to supporters on Tuesday. "His reputation is unsalvageable. It is evident that he cannot judge right from wrong, so why should he be judging the country's most important cases on its highest court."
The comments by Markey come as Thomas has faced a wave of criticism following a report from ProPublica, detailing numerous trips that Thomas and his wife, Ginni, took that were paid for by Republican donor, Harlan Crow. Newsweek reached out to Markey's press office via email for comment.
The report from ProPublica stated that Thomas traveled for nearly 20 years on trips paid for by Crow, including taking the donor's yacht and private jet. Many of the trips Thomas and his wife took were not disclosed to the court and there are ethics laws in place requiring Supreme Court Justices and other members of Congress to financially disclose gifts they received.
"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," Thomas said in a statement following the report from ProPublica.
In addition to the report from ProPublica, Thomas also faced criticism after it was revealed by the Washington Post that his wife encouraged a White House official to attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
"Justice Thomas refused to recuse himself on cases about efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, despite his wife's being implicated in them. He hid years of luxury travel and the purchase of his mother's home by a right-wing billionaire with an agenda. These latest disclosures reflect a justice who doesn't know right from wrong and corruption that is inconsistent with a seat on the nation's highest court. Justice Thomas should resign," Markey told Newsweek on Tuesday afternoon.
"You are the leader, with him, who is standing for America's constitutional governance at the precipice. The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History," Ginni Thomas wrote in one message to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, the Washington Post reported.
In a tweet following the report on the texts, Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar wrote on Twitter that "Clarence Thomas needs to be impeached."
Similarly, New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell Jr wrote, "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."
Newsweek reached out to the Supreme Court via email for comment.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
