Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ latest ethics controversy is relatively straightforward. A stunning ProPublica report found that the far-right jurist has spent the last couple of decades accepting gifts and luxury trips from a Republican megadonor, which Thomas failed to disclose.
This has led to a series of concerns about whether the conservative crossed legal lines, and several congressional Democrats have broached the subject of possible impeachment.
My general expectation was that Thomas would ignore the controversy — an approach he’s taken before — confident in the assumption that he’s accountable to no one. Fortunately, my expectation was mistaken, and the associate justice issued a written response earlier today. It read in its entirety:
“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. 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.”
While I’m glad Thomas acknowledged the controversy and took a step toward explaining himself, there are a few flaws in his statement.
1. Thomas and his wife have apparently been friends with the Republican megadonor and his wife “for 25 years.” That’s nice, but Thomas joined the Supreme Court in 1991, which was 32 years ago. In other words,…
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