Justice Thomas responds to report he accepted luxury travel from GOP donor for years

[demmiblue]

Source: WaPo

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas released his first public statement since a ProPublica report revealed that he had accepted luxury trips around the globe for more than two decades, including travel on a superyacht and private jet, from a prominent Republican donor without disclosing them.

The trips were funded by Harlan Crow, a Dallas businessman and influential donor to Republican candidates and causes related to the law and judiciary. Thomas said Friday that Crow was among his “dearest friends” for over 25 years.

“As friends do, we have joined [Crow and his wife] on a number of family trips during the more than quarter century we have known them,” Thomas said in a statement. “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 he has “endeavored to follow that counsel” throughout his time on the high court. Federal law mandates that top officials from the three branches of government, including the Supreme Court, file annual forms detailing their finances, outside income and spouses’ sources of income, with each branch determining its own reporting standards.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/07/clarence-thomas-trips-crow-propublica/

[grumpyduck]

1. Of course. What else is he going to say?

And interesting he stopped reporting them after the piece in the LA paper.

[peppertree]

14. Buu-urp.

[RockRaven]

2. That's a flat out lie. See the stories about the LA Times having written about his disclosures

in 2004 -- in which they note his reported gifts from Crow -- after which publication he stopped reporting them.

He's gaslighting and lying because he knows he will get away with it. This "explanation" is just a big "fuck you, you can't touch me."

[C_U_L8R]

3. Friends have friends over for dinner

They don't pay their way to go on boondoggles at the worlds most expensive resorts. This stinks of payola.

[Botany]

4. Funny the Thomas couple were not "friends" until Clarence was on the Court and it is nice to see ...

.... how he blames it all on the advice he got from his other "colleagues" on the court or worked there.

This is where you go for "gifts" aka bribes:



This is where you go for a dinner with your friends:

[PatSeg]

18. And who on earth wants to be friends with Clarence Thomas?

I seriously doubt Clarence and Ginny have very many friends.

[Botany]

22. Tell me how this was not bribery to Clarence Thomas via Ginni?

Crow gave a big chunk of money to a PAC/Think Tank run by Ginny Thomas, Liberty Consulting
and then Liberty Consulting "hired" Ginni Thomas to work for Liberty Consulting.

**************

A spokeswoman for the Supreme Court did not return requests for comment. Attempts to reach Ginni Thomas through an email listed on her website were not returned. The website appears to have been wiped since the recent reports on her texts with Meadows.

Very little is known about her company, Liberty Consulting, which is listed as an asset on her husband’s Supreme Court disclosures. CNBC was able to find some of her conservative-leaning clients by cross-checking Virginia business records, tax forms, Federal Election Commission filings, personal financial disclosure documents and through interviews with people familiar with her work. Even so, watchdogs say such documents may not entirely reveal who she’s represented and whether those groups have ties to any cases before the court, raising increasing calls for more transparency.

snip

Thomas is also said to have done past work for companies tied to conservative judicial advisor Leonard Leo, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named to speak freely on the matter. Ginni Thomas counts Leo as a mentor, according to The Washington Post. Leo previously served as a director for a Ginni Thomas-led a conservative nonprofit named Liberty Central during former President Barack Obama’s administration, according to 990 tax disclosures. Ginni Thomas once boasted that she wanted the organization to be “bigger than the tea party,” and was taking aim at Obama’s agenda, including the Affordable Care Act, the Post reported.

snip

Ginni Thomas’ LinkedIn profile says she’s worked since 2010 as the founder and president of Liberty Consulting with “citizen activists, leaders and nonprofits to succeed and have impact in defending the principles that have made America an exceptional nation. — offer strategic advice, build coalitions, connect people and projects (this is my passion and joy!).” Thomas notes on her page that she’s not a lobbyist, even though a Virginia state record shows that the firm was once called Liberty Lobby.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/05/inside-the-consulting-firm-run-by-ginni-thomas-wife-of-supreme-court-justice-clarence-thomas.html

[PatSeg]

26. Yep, everything this couple does

sounds very suspicious. I think the only way they have any "social" life is to allow themselves to be used by wealthy conservatives. Also the Liberty Consulting think tank sounds like it could be a way to reimburse Clarence and Ginny for services rendered, i.e. favorable court decisions. I have a feeling that is what a lot of "think tanks" are. Perhaps there should be an audit of Liberty Consulting. Sounds really suspicious. Once called Liberty Lobby?

[Botany]

28. And in 1999/2000 Ginni was connected to some kind of organization that helped w/Cheney steal ....

... the election and move into the White House and she was doing this as Clarence and the SCOTUS
was voting on bush v Gore. God only knows how much she has pulled in "off the books dark money."

FYI https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217804847

[PatSeg]

29. Holy crap!

And she probably got away with so much for so long because people thought she is just the ditzy wife of Clarence Thomas, no one to take seriously. Apparently, she's not as scatter-brained and goofy as she appears. Well, she IS, but she seems to know what she's doing.

[Botany]

30. She is smart but is so fucked up in the head that she sees herself as God's* own warrior on Earth ..

... and in so whatever she does "it is OK because her causes are really the right ones." She was also way deep into
the 1/6/21 attempted coup crimes against the American People and the U.S. Constitution. I hope Jack Smith has
her in his sights.

* If she really believes in God @ all.

[PatSeg]

33. I don't think she completely recovered

from her cult experience. The whole "God's warrior" attitude is still with her. I think she really believes she is doing the Lord's work and the end justifies the means. I suppose she also believes in the End Times as well and she's preparing for her place in paradise.

Yes, I hope Jack Smith has taken notice as well. Surely someone must be paying attention.

[walkingman]

5. Thanks George HW Bush for this POS. You got your token black dude and we got a RW asshole.

[cilla4progress]

8. Zackly.

According to plan.

[peppertree]

13. Yep. Old Man Bush was known for his wicked sense of humor

He very much meant Coke Can Thomas as an insult to the Black community.

[rurallib]

16. One memory I have from the Thomas nomination by HW

is what an absolute insult it was to replace a great, great man like Thurgood Marshall with such a creepy imbecile like Thomas. I had this vision in my mind of HW just constantly rolling on the floor laughing over the one he pulled on the libs.

[peppertree]

17. And that's EXACTLY the effect Bush wanted

Bush was a well-known eugenicist - who had nothing but contempt for Marshall or people of color in general.

He wanted someone who would both be a thorn on the side of Democrats (and for many years) - as well as an embarrassment to Blacks.

And he certainly got it.

[Me.]

6. NIce Try Clar

[dalton99a]

7. "I thought nobody would notice"

Fucking liar

[Pas-de-Calais]

9. Ms Hill was MORE than right about this POS

[EYESORE 9001]

10. If yer 'splainin', yer losin'

Please proceed. We’re documenting any lies you choose to tell.

[EndlessWire]

11. Wow, will this fly in Court?

You or I could be USSC Justices! He asked his friends in Court for the ruling! I guess you hear what you want to hear!

Don't we pay this Bozo to actually know what's going on?

What a lame excuse, especially the part where he could accept gratuities from someone as long as they didn't have business in front of the Court! What part of "future debt" doesn't this traitor understand?

This guy isn't bright enough to be on the Court. You or I could replace him, no problem. We understand obligation, from paying on time to balloon payments coming due!

What is wrong with this picture? He thinks that this explanation will make the problem go away??

[CanonRay]

12. What a crock of shit

As my mother would have said.

[oldsoftie]

15. I'd like to know if there are any similar "friendly outings" with other Justices

Trips or whatever that would be on the same level as this.
There needs to be some sort of rule

[PatSeg]

19. I have a feeling there are

and we'll probably hear about them in the coming months.

[Golden Raisin]

20. Just out of morbid curiosity, has Chief Justice Roberts

had anything to say publicly?

[3825-87867]

21. AH, time for IRS to check Crow's Taxes?

Did Crow write of the expenses to transport and entertain the two Gold diggers?
Frustrated minds want to know that and other financial explanations or exceptions for the rich!

[leftieNanner]

23. I'm hoping the IRS also has a look at Clarence's taxes

Because a $500,000 trip between friends is definitely a GIFT. And that number is much larger than the $14,000 per year that's allowed.

[bluestarone]

24. Wonder if there ever was a case

Thomas voted AGAINST Crow? I'm betting 100% in favor of Crow EVERY TIME. Should check that out as well.

[ZonkerHarris]

25. corrupt motherfucker

[catrose]

27. And will those colleagues and others in the judiciary come forth and confirm?

Maybe even testify?

[ancianita]

31. Sheldon Whitehouse to Clarence Thomas:

Link to tweet

[Bradley Down Under]

32. Thomas has gotten a lot of ribbing over the years for not asking questions

Well, it now looks like he needs to answer some!

[bluevoter4life]

34. This is crap

As a federal employee, I am explicitly PROHIBITED from owning even a single share in the industry of which my Agency overseas (in this case, FAA). While someone at my level is not required to file a financial disclosure report, if I am found out to have any aviation stock, I can easily be terminated. Even mutual funds can't have any more than something like 30% aviation holdings.

Meanwhile, this POS is accepting multi-million dollar vacations for the last 25 years and not even a formal reprimand.

[johnnyfins]

35. Just when you thought

this guy couldn't outdo himself as a bloated, corrupt, tick, he finds a new floor in the race to the bottom. What an absolute piece of shit. There is ZERO reason to ever doubt Anita Hill's story. EVER.