Two weeks ago, ProPublica dropped a big bombshell about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. No, it wasn’t that his insurrectionist wife did more acts of treason, although I’m sure she did. ProPublica did a deep dive into Justice Thomas’s finances and travel, and found that he received millions of dollars of free travel, luxury vacations and gifts from a wacky GOP billionaire, and Thomas didn’t disclose any of it, which is a violation of many federal ethics/disclosure laws. There was a tragic-yet-hilarious addendum to that story, which was that that GOP donor, Harlan Crow, collects Nazi and Confederate memorabilia, and every conservative commentator tripped over themselves to argue that collecting that sh-t is perfectly normal and it doesn’t make Crow a Nazi, a racist or a Confederate loser. Well, there’s even more to the larger story about Clarence Thomas’s funky financials – he’s been disclosing hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits from a real estate firm which closed down in 2006.
Over the last two decades, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has reported on required financial disclosure forms that his family received rental income totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars from a firm called Ginger, Ltd., Partnership. But that company — a Nebraska real estate firm launched in the 1980s by his wife and her relatives — has not existed since 2006.
That year, the family real estate company was shut down and a separate firm was created, state incorporation records show. The similarly named firm assumed control of the shuttered company’s land leasing business, according to property records. Since that time, however, Thomas has continued to report income from the defunct company — between $50,000 and $100,000 annually in recent years — and there is no mention of the newer firm, Ginger Holdings, LLC, on the forms.
The previously unreported misstatement might be dismissed as a paperwork error. But it is among a series of errors and omissions that Thomas has made on required annual financial disclosure forms over the past several decades, a review of those records shows. Together, they have raised questions about how seriously Thomas views his responsibility to accurately report details about his finances to the public.
A judicial ethics expert said the pattern was troubling. “Any presumption in favor of Thomas’s integrity and commitment to comply with the law is gone. His assurances and promises cannot be trusted. Is there more? What’s the whole story? The nation needs to know,” said Stephen Gillers, a legal ethics expert at New York University.
Gillers said all three branches of government should investigate Thomas’s compliance or noncompliance with federal ethics law. “The Supreme Court has been the glue that has held the republic together since 1790 with the Civil War the only interruption. We need the public to respect it even when it disagrees with it and to understand why it is important. Generally, the public has,” he said. “But that respect is now in serious jeopardy, and others must do something to stop the free fall.”
[From WaPo]
Granted, I believed that Justice Thomas should have been impeached or whatever they call it, thrown off the bench, when the Harlan Crow story came out. But as more of these stories come out, it’s something else entirely – there needs to be a real investigation into this grifter, because it sounds like no one has double-checked his financial disclosures in decades. How does this even happen, that no one checked before now? Obviously, after the investigation, Thomas needs to be thrown off the court. Every Democratic operative saying stuff like “if this was Kagan or Sotomayor, Republicans would have already thrown her off the court” is absolutely correct.
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Members of the Supreme Court pose for a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC on April 23, 2021. Seated from left: Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Justice Stephen G. Breyer, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
-PICTURED: Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Justice Stephen G. Breyer, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and Justice Amy Coney Barrett
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Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Clarence Thomas waits to administer the oath of office to Judge Amy Coney Barrett to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on Monday, October 26, 2020. US President Donald J. Trump and her husband Jesse M. Barrett look on.,Image: 565706222, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: usage worldwide, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Kleponis / DPA Picture Alliance / Avalon
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Washington, DC – President Donald J. Trump acknowledges Judge Amy Coney Barrett as the Supreme Court’s 115th associate justice, following her swearing-in on the South Lawn of the White House. Justice Barrett is joined by her husband Jesse, holding the Bible, and their children.
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-Washington, District of Columbia – 20190920 President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcome Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Mrs. Morrison to the White House in Washington for a state dinner.
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I’m feeling like Jessica Chastain in that “nothing matters” SNL skit. Democrats need to get Republican-style vicious, like NOW.
The major media is all corporate, and hence Republican, owned. That’s why this story is getting reported on as the bombshells it is, but isn’t getting the same hair on fire treatment that Obama’s tan suit, Benghazi and Joe Biden’s polling get. The media is on the side of the GOP and the GOP don’t want to endanger their majority on the court.
That’s the sad part.
Doesn’t matter what Thomas has done… republicans aren’t going to throw him off the bench because they don’t want to give Biden a SCOTUS nominee.
It’s infuriating. And you’re right, Fuzzy Crocodile, they will not allow CT to leave—the Rs probably don’t have much of an issue with the way he rules in the first place and they definitely do not want him replaced by a Biden appointee.
Between Donald Trump, Clarence Thomas, George Santos, MTG……. keeping these blatant scammers and immoral cons among their ranks, the Republicans officially stand for NOTHING.
Absolutely nothing.
Did Roberts have his own ‘if I don’t ask, he won’t tell’ thing going on? Because it seems inconceivable all this was happening and the Chief Justice said nothing.
And how about the rest of them? Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett were definitely not fit to serve but installed anyway—there has to be something putrid in their appointments. A lifelong career where it’s nearly impossible to get rid of someone who engages in criminal activities, is sensitive to corruption and there’s a lack of oversight? This is a disaster.
Roberts ain’t saying sh*t because his wife pulls in a million dollars a year recruiting for the biggest law firms in the US. The Roberts conflict of interest is much greater than the Thomases.
That man and troglodyte he’s married to should be banished from society. Disgusting the both of them.
Great word, “troglodyte: cave dweller, hermit, someone deliberately ignorant” – had to look it up but plan on using it soon
It’s frustrating that our government couldn’t listen to and believe Anita Hill when she told us who CT was back in the 90s. It would have saved us a lot of corruption and frustration, because this guy is not going to be impeached. The founding fathers did not envision a system in which their government was filled with criminals who would protect their own interests at the cost of the people they governed. Essentially 1770s England 2.0 as it were. Age limits, term limits, better continuing background checks, and easier removal if a SCJ is or turns corrupt. A judge open to any sort of bribery or influence like CT has to be removed and the way the SC is set up, that’s virtually impossible.
It’s frustrating that 11 Democrats voted in favor of Thomas, which is how he got on the court.
The Founding Fathers weren’t paragons of virtue themselves. Most were engaged in underhanded shit. Starting with, stealing someone else’s land and calling it their own, and stealing the Iroquois Constitution and calling it their own. They’re plagiarists, slavers, rapists, tax dodgers, etc. Clarence Thomas fits right TF in with them. Except for the Black part, but Clarence doesn’t identify as Black, so…
My wish is to have Thomas and Roberts impeached with Thomas and his wife in prison.
Impeach that SOB
Thurgood Marshall would be aghast at this crook’s ineptitude. He was never qualified to even be seated on the Court. He and his insurrectionist wife need to be in jail.
Ten years that man went without saying a single word on the bench. Not a question. Not a comment. Not a joke. TEN YEARS.
The Senate judiciary committee is going to hold hearings and probably has already started an investigation. Good. They have subpoena power. I’m sure they will find more unethical and illegal behavior. Not that anything will move Republicans to impeachment, but the American people need to know what Thomas and his Nazi adjacent wife are up to.
Good. It seems clear that any digging into the Thomases’ finances will reveal more layers of corruption. At the very least, the public should know that Thomas is on the bench *because* of his unethical behavior, not in spite of it.
So much corruption.
Hypothetical: does SCOTUS have do disclose vacations taken with/gifts from one’s b.o.y.f.r.i.e.n.d.? If not, no prob.
C’mon…20+ yrs of 2 bros chillin’ on the pj, sippin’ on the rosé?
This headline reads like any partner that just wants to stay on the down low:
“The billionaire, in an exclusive interview, explains his RELATIONSHIP with Thomas, his LOVE of American history and wanting to stay out of the limelight.”
Even the @nita H!ll stuff checks…
👍🏼
Clarence Thomas is one of the grossest grifters of ALL time! He was a slime ball even before he became the longest-serving slime ball on the SC. He would obsessively talk about porn to his office mates, sexually harass his employees, and has ZERO ethics/ morals. IMPEACH HIS ASS!!
True story, I went to a gala at the Crow’s estate in Dallas years ago. He had what he called the “Garden of Evil” and there were life size statues of fallen dictators (and Castro). There was an enormous Stalin, a five foot bust of Houssein etc all winding around in this verdant shade garden. Creepy as hell. The library looked like the one from beauty and the beast though!! I didn’t see any confederate things in the garden—it was more dedicated to anti communism (lol) but I’m SURE it was probably around in other areas I didn’t see.
@ABB thank you for sharing. Hobby/Statue choice aside: I love winding garden paths that tell a story.
Actually sort of respecting HC for curating and displaying his collection. Sculptors gotta get paid too!
Can’t find the tweet, it was from someone reputable, but the reporter was saying that what appears to have happens was that the family trust changed their name and Thomas kept reporting under the old name. No way of telling if this is what happened without an investigation. If true, shows what absolute contempt he held for the reporting process. He didn’t even bother to hire competent people to fill it out. Or maybe he knew anyone good enough to do the job right wouldn’t cover up his sleaze.
If it was above board, he would’ve kept the names correct so that taxes and other paper work was clearly correct. He kept the name to muddy the waters if he got caught.
Read the article. There is way way way more than just him not updating the name. A lot more.
It’s incredibly difficult to read another article about this shameless piece of shit. He and his wife have made me so angry, and the fact those two are coupled with one of our highest positions within the American legal system plays games with my blood pressure. It’s atrocious. Egregious. Repulsive. And f*cking criminal. SSDD.
He’s an effing criminal. Fire him.