We were always pretty aware of his corruption. But now tremendous examples of blatant evidence are surfacing that could cost him his career.
Clarence Thomas Is On a Quest to Be the Most Corrupt Justice In the Court
Sitting on the Supreme Court—it’s good work if you can get it. Justices enjoy a lifetime appointment, extraordinary influence over the lives of their fellow Americans, and little to no formal oversight. But if you’re Clarence Thomas, the gig apparently comes with additional perks: lavish vacations, access to private jets and super-yachts, and other pricey gifts, all courtesy of a billionaire and GOP mega-donor.
According to ProPublica, the conservative justice has for decades accepted luxury vacations and other gifts from Harlan Crow, the Dallas real estate developer who has helped found the anti-tax conservative Club for Growth organization, poured millions into GOP campaigns, and provided the initial $500,000 donation to the lobbying outfit founded by the justice’s wife, Ginni Thomas. The vacations have included a week and a half of island-hopping in Indonesia on Crow’s super-yacht, an excursion that would have otherwise cost the Thomases upward of $500,000; trips to the all-male California retreat Bohemian Grove, where Crow is a member; and visits to Crow’s Texas ranch. Every summer, ProPublica reports, Thomas also spends a week at Crow’s private Adirondacks resort—hobnobbing with various corporate executives, lobbyists, and Federalist Society leader Leonard Leo, in accommodations that include a full-scale mock-up of Hagrid’s hut from Harry Potter.
As you might expect, Thomas did not report any of the vacations, private travel, or gifts on financial disclosures, in what appears to be clear, if brazen, violation of ethics laws.
“It’s incomprehensible to me that someone would do this,” retired federal judge Nancy Gertner told ProPublica. “When a justice’s lifestyle is being subsidized by the rich and famous, it absolutely corrodes public trust,” former government ethics lawyer Virginia Canter echoed, warning that Thomas “seems to have completely disregarded his higher ethical obligations.”