CNBC, The Guardian, Forbes, NPR, The Daily Beast, all reporting:
"BREAKING: Republican Donor Harlan Crow has been giving millions of dollars to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni Thomas for over 20 years, off the books, under the table.
ProPublica just discovered that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni Thomas secretly were provided with luxury vacations by Republican donor Harlan Crow. This included multiple flights on his private jet, cruises on a mega yacht and stays at Crow's private resort.
Just about every single year the Thomas’ were provided with these extravagant gifts, without filing any financial disclosure or documents.
Just imagine Republican outrage if this was George Soros providing these gifts to a liberal Supreme Court Justice.
Just imagine! " -- Ed Krassenstein
NPR:
A ProPublica investigation out Thursday reveals that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has failed to disclose luxury vacations and free travel provided by conservative billionaire Harlan Crow.
54 comments:
Nothing to see here.
No one, not one GOP member of the Congress or the Senate will bother with this. not a one.
You are right... just imagine.
Just imagine if you were a senator and were in a humorous sexually themed photo years ago. Would your political party expel you? They would if you were a Dem. No Dem stood up and said Franken's actions were nothing more than a joke.
But will one GOP member stand up and call for Thomas to stand down, to resign, to be impeached?
Not one.
Shaw, I wouldn't publish a single comment from a conservative until they answer whether they believe Thomas should go or stay, and defend their position.
The criminal stream runs deep within the party of Richard Nixon, Reagan, and Trump.
Which, in all honesty, make me wonder if maybe democrats might just be better at cover-up. People essentially being the same i mean. Meaning there's is potential for both good and bad in everyone. It's a choice one makes which road is choosen.
OT... Furthermore, the trajectory of politics and political discourse in America today is really concerning. It seems disdain for the "opposition party runs both ways with the "new gop" being most egregiously hateful and lacking in general compassion. Which is likely why it is a minority party.
Dave M., Les
"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.
Judges are prohibited from accepting gifts from anyone with business before the court. Until recently, however, the judicial branch had not clearly defined an exemption for gifts considered “personal hospitality.”
Revised rules adopted by a committee of the Judicial Conference, the courts’ policymaking body, seek to provide a fuller accounting. The rules took effect March 14.
Gifts such as an overnight stay at a personal vacation home owned by a friend remain exempt from reporting requirements. But the revised rules require disclosure when judges are treated to stays at commercial properties, such as hotels, ski resorts or corporate hunting lodges. The changes also clarify that judges must report travel by private jet.--Washington Post
From a friend:
"The people who claim that America is exceptional are in denial about the corruption that makes America more like corrupted European or Soviet-era countries.
The Thomases didn't ask for these half million in luxury favors; the donor just gave it all away from the kindness of his heart, and how dare the rest of us think there might be any undue influence?
Ginni Thomas herself proved that she was using backchannels to undermine elections where there were cases involving her husband. Clarence Thomas is more unfit than ever to serve on the Supreme Court.
To all you holdout Bush-type Republicans who slobber over Constitutionalist intent and worship of the Founders, don't be surprised when your grandchildren ditch the whole thing in favor of some new type of government after decades of people like Clarence Thomas trashing it!"
Can you imagine if George Soros had given these expensive "favors" to Ketanji Jackson Brown for 20 years and we just found out!??
The GQPers throats would be on fire from screaming about the appearance of buying influence on the SCOTUS!
And this:
"In 2009 Crow provided $500,000 to Liberty Central, which was established by Virginia Thomas, the wife of Justice Thomas. At that time, the sources of Liberty Central's startup funds were not publicly disclosed. Ginni is basically a lobbyist for Crow. Sounds pretty much like a real racket."
SOURCE
"Only Congress has the authority to remove an Article III judge. This is done through a vote of impeachment by the House and a trial and conviction by the Senate."
Well, that's never going to happen.
What would you expect after all he is a republican. Has anyone looked at how many of our elected elite take trips on corporate jets or speak for a fat fee at corporate meetings. What about the congress person who takes his family on a corporate sponsored investigative trip to some Caribbean island. This happens every week and goes unnoticed because of our corrupt political system.
Well, skud, if you don't understand why this looks really, really unethical for a Supreme Court Justice, I'll explain it in a few sentences.
Congresscritters ARE NOT THE SAME AS SUPREME COURT JUSTICES who get to decide if a law passed by Congresscritters is Constitutional or not. SC justices have the final say on any litigation that comes before them as to a law's Constitutionality. Y'know, like "Corporations Are People," so that multi-billion dollar corporations and their honchos can pour money into the coffers of politicians AND JUSTICES to keep them making laws and passing judgement on those laws that favor them.
Get it?
Saying other people do it is never a reason to stop that Banana Republic behavior. Ever. And that goes for Democrats as well as Republicans.
At this point, it looks like Justice Thomas and his wife, Ginni, have crossed the line in the "appearance of being influenced." Not a good look for a SC Justice, nor his pro-insurrectionist wife.
You remember her, right? She was heavily into overthrowing the 2020 free and fair election, which, in many Americans' view was borderline treasonous.
ProPublica
@propublica
For decades, Justice Clarence Thomas has secretly accepted luxury trips from a major Republican donor, newly obtained documents and interviews show.
The extent and frequency of these apparent gifts to Thomas has no known precedent in modern SCOTUS history.
Should we ignore this skud?
"At Crow’s invitation-only resort, guests enjoy boathouses, a clay tennis court, batting cage, a replica of Hagrid's hut from Harry Potter, bronze statues of gnomes & milkshakes at a 1950s-style soda fountain.
For free.
Rooms at a nearby resort start at more than $2K/night." --ProPublica
"While Thomas and Crow have a genuine friendship, say sources familiar with the two men, these vacations often put the justice in contact with corporate execs and political activists." ProPublica
"These trips appeared nowhere on Thomas’ financial disclosures, where justices are required to list most gifts.
We drew on flight records, internal documents & interviews with dozens of people ranging from yacht staff to a scuba instructor to uncover Thomas' travel details.
His failure to report the flights appears to violate a federal disclosure law passed after Watergate, according to experts.
By accepting the trips, Thomas has broken long-standing norms for judges’ conduct, ethics experts and four current or retired federal judges said."--ProPublica
Shaw asked "should we ignore this?"
Of course we should. Right?
Because what are the implications if we pursue it now, with Dems in charge of the Senate?
1. The seat would change hands into a more liberal seat.
2. Opening the Pandora's box of the Thomas duo would show ppl how craven and political they, and by extension, their Republican enablers have been.
3. It would probably lead to laws that would diminish the influence of lobbyists with cases before Congress and the SCOTUS.
None of that would be good would it? Of course not. Plus, many conservatives know everything in this report is all just a bunch of lies made up by the Un American libruls...
Everyone knew that you don't give a damn about the corruption in the Democratic Party and about Biden’s Crooked Son Shaw. In your blind eyes they can be as corrupt as they like, as long as your side wins. Salty tears are those that claim it's about 'democracy' when they get laughed out of the room for their blatant hypocrisy. You'll burn down the country to get your way, just like you did in 2020. Your Outrageous, Idiotic, Crooked, president will soon pay a hefty price for what he did to this country
So my question is:
Is it okay for a SC Justice to decide if our laws stand to not disclose vacations and gifts, which is against federal law, that involve mingling with the very people that will benefit from his/her SC rulings?
Sitting on edge wating for scud's answer. :)
Anonymous @3:17 said...
"Everyone knew that you don't give a damn about the corruption in the Democratic Party and about Biden’s Crooked Son Shaw."
S.K. To be sure, Hunter Biden was a troubled man. We're waiting to see what the investigations produce. If he broke any laws, he should be held accountable. I've not mentioned the Hunter Biden allegations and ongoing investigations, so why are you bringing this up.
And please give us what you know to be evidenced proved about the corruption in the current Democratic Party. Just saying it doesn't make it so.
PS. Do you refer to Trump as "crooked?" He actually was arrested and indicted on 34 felony counts. Hunter Biden? Nothing. Yet.
Anonymous: "In your blind eyes they can be as corrupt as they like, as long as your side wins. Salty tears are those that claim it's about 'democracy' when they get laughed out of the room for their blatant hypocrisy."
S.K.: Strawman arguments are stupid. Try to do better, Anon.
Anonymous: "You'll burn down the country to get your way, just like you did in 2020. Your Outrageous, Idiotic, Crooked, president will soon pay a hefty price for what he did to this country>"
S.K.: Those weren't Biden supporters on J6 who attacked the US Capitol and desecrated its halls yelling "HANG MIKE PENCE," and trying to stop the peaceful transfer of power, instigated by a corrupt, lying Donald Trump. That you even wrote those words show us all that you do not dwell in the realm of reality. You're in a cult.
The American people rejected Trump and continue to reject his destructive, hateful assault on our American democracy. History will bear this out.
PS. You're in a cult.
Just in... Dem State Rep Justin Jones has just been expelled from the GOP dominated Tennessee state legislature. For protesting. For not just taking it. For representing his constituency.
In Tennessee. The state that gave birth to the Ku Klux Klan.
Because the GOP cannot convince voters to like their way, because they are convinced their views are best, they believe they should have the right to silence the other side in congressional halls across the land.
And today they acted on that belief.
Your GOP.
In Tennessee.
In Kansas with the genital inspection law.
And coming soon to Wisconsin for having the gall to elect a liberal Supreme Court judge.
True Americans my eye. Nothing in this party right now represents the America I was born into and grew to know and love.
Nothing at all.
Wow Anonymous, super charged projections. You've described the process engaged in by Trump and the cult like Trumpian gopers near perfectly!
Congrats on a near perfect projection of the behaviors of unhinged and deluded Trumpers.
BTW Anon, thanks for the laughs. Best of the day.
I worked for a very small non profit for 30 years. We were never allowed to personally accept gifts of any kind in any amount from vendors. During the holidays the organization would get small gift baskets or candy/popcorn from vendors that would be put in the staff kitchen for all to enjoy. I'm sure each gift basket never cost more than $50 bucks.
Dave M.
So the Tennessee Republicans and the NRA won out over children and duly elected state representatives?
He was expelled within DAYS of a peaceful protest involving children who don’t want to get killed in classrooms anymore. No real due process and swift punishment appears totally unequal to the minor offense.
Meanwhile, grandstanding MT Greene who howled at President Biden during his SOTU in February is considered a shining GOP star for her antics during that speech.
I can’t believe this is happening in our country.
Pulaski, Tennessee: The birthplace of the KKK. Now they can add this authoritarian move to their trophy cabinet of unAmerican firsts.
Leslie, You wanted my response, It is all trumps fault. Did the president pay for all those vacations in MV or HA when he took his entire family along with him. This is all part of our crooked political system where the only person that matters is the politicians.
Now we have an administration who is proud of killing 13 military personal and giving our enemy billions of dollars worth of weapons to use against us but it is fine because he is a democrat and after all it is trumps fault, so says the administration.
the republicans need to give up the chase for corruption with hunter and joey b. The MSM is ignoring it so nothing will happen. Do something else with with you time like hitting up lobbyist for cash.
Shaw... we can ban books, but disturb the Tennessee House and break the rules of decorum and you get expelled. We can ban books, but protest against guns that kill too many children and you get expelled.
Too bad the national GOP isn't held to the same standard, yelling as they did at Presidents Obama and Biden, calling them liars from their seats and more.
In Tennessee, bring an AR into a school and murder 6, Republican lawmakers throw up their hands and say nothing can be done. Bring a bullhorn onto the floor to protest inaction and you lose your seat, leaving thousands of constituents without representation. Interesting that only the 2 black guys expelled.
Skud, I agree with you about the corrupting influence of money in politics. I'm sure you agree that public financing of elections would cure a lot of those ills. Maybe the 'originalists' on the SC could take another look at their previous decision that "money is speech".
As for Obamas vacations. The taxpayers pick up the tab. The cost over 8 years was close to $100M. This is in the public record. These cost are reported, including who was hosting them if they stayed with friends. See the differnce? Trumps visits to his properties cost around $95M over 4 years. One difference. Trump personally profited by charging exorbitant fees for Secret Service rooms, meals, even golf carts to follow him around the links. I'm sure you were outraged by that.
Gee skud, thanks for the response. Perhaps one day i'll fathom your logic.
SCJ's are supposed to be apolitical. Their job is to determine the Constitutionality of laws passed by the legislative branch of our government. So my follow-up for you is this, should a SC justice be accepting lavish gifts from billionaire donors from either conservatives, liberals, republicans, or democrats, and should they be reporting any such gifts as required?
Lobbyists or wealthy donors pay out big bucks for lavish treatment of influential government individuals hoping to influence their decision making. SCJ's of all people need to be above the fray as ultimately their decisions can affect all Americans. For a SCJ to be beholden to anyone is problematic in my eyes, and when it is dicovered this has occured accountability for their actions should be swift. IMO Clarence Thomas should be impeached and replaced ASAP.
What say you skud? And please, don't bore us with the both sides do it mantra.
Thank you in advance.
Okay Skud and the conservative trolls...
Tennessee yesterday brought three state representatives up for expulsion for their part in a series of protests in the House. There were two black men and one white woman. All three did the exact thing, taking part in the protest.
But when the day was done, the state GOP, 100% white, only expelled the two black guys, and were unable to get enough vote to expel the white woman.
Can anyone explain why she got off? Because I know conservatives, Trump lovers and swell guy [Obama] haters are pretty quick to point out that nothing the GOP does is ever based on race or is racist.
I'm asking for a few friends...
Clarence Thomas and his wife should be charged with multiple charges of corruption and face the maximum sentences for each charge consecutively.
And let me be on record, in case uptheEndo is reading this: NO, I'm not calling or implying that Clarence Thomas an Uncle Tom, a House Negro or any other term you can call him.
Leslie, I doubt it.
Craig, From what I have read thomas has been friends with crow long before he became a supreme. If a friend invites a politician over for dinner should he be required to claim it or invite him on a trip. If they didn't have an association prior to become a supreme I would agree but that is not the case. I do favor public funding in elections but only public funding. That will not happen but it would be nice. When you spend a billion dollars to get a job that pays 400k it is not to serve the people.
Rev I thought this was about thomas but I guess it strayed. Yes tennessee is a racist state because they expelled two black guys with megaphones in chambers.
Clarence was appointed to the Court in 1991.
" Statement from Harlan Crow: My wife Kathy and I have been friends with Justice Thomas and his wife Ginni since 1996."
skud, the question isn’t whether or not a Supreme had friends before becoming a Supreme but what gifts were received after becoming a Supreme. On that point Mr Thomas has some explaining to do especially since there is a handy dandy form he signed off on as ‘not’ receiving any gifts when the evidence clearly showed he did.
I’m personally waiting for the IRS to do what they do so well. No wonder the GQP was so intent on defunding them. Can’t believe this old hippy is thinking and saying this but Go IRS, Go!!!!
Grey One Talks Sass on their phone because new computers are hard!
Skud... guilty as charged. I admit it. I hijacked a thread.
Interesting that you, the master of non related asides and post hijacking snark would be the one to bring it up.
To all... I apologize for my offense.
However, it's all part of a related theme that we keep seeing.
The current iteration of the GOP is out of step with the majority of Americans.
The party mostly refuses to even discuss how to cut down on mass shootings in public places. One Tennessee politico went so far as to say there's nothing we can do. Ask a second amendment supporter what we can do and they never have an answer.
The GOP will, as it relates to gun policy, spout fealty to the mental health of many of the shooters and say we need action. Texas after Uvalde is a good example. The Governor even promised Texas would get 'er done. But no... nothing happens. Because it would cost money and that would come from government through more taxes.
A majority of Americans, including Republicans, support indictments and by extension legal action against Fmr President Donald Trump. But the minority still rules the roost.
The GOP has moved into extremeland as it relates to abortion. A great many Americans, including Democrats, support some limits on abortion, particularly in the late second and third trimester. But the GOP wants none. None. At. All. And so, where they can, they impose their will, regardless of the will of the voters they claim to support.
The GOP has tried multiple times to limit abortion in Kansas, a deep red state. And each time they lose. Yet they keep coming back with more cleverly named ballot measures aimed at getting their voter rejected agenda passed.
The GOP has moved across the land to demand more regulation on people voting. Unless I am mistaken, voting is a Constitutional right. Yet the GOP is methodically moving to limit that right, with no idea of the irony as it relates to gun policy.
In Wisconsin, the GOP is already talking about impeaching the newly elected liberal member of their Supreme Court. Why? Because of how she might rule in cases related to gerrymandering and their pre Civil War abortion law.
So how is all of this related to Clarence Thomas? Simple. The current GOP does not believe in the rule of law, if it impacts them. The current GOP does not believe that in a multiparty democracy, they have a responsibility to win voters to their side.
They simply believe they are right and as such, can impose their will on everyone or even, as has been the case with both Trump and Thomas, simply disregard basic political norms and in some cases laws.
They do not believe that laws apply to them if those laws get in the way of furthering their agenda.
So they keep presidential papers, in spite of the rules and norms, they accept gifts from donors and others without being open and honest about it, they eschew government record keeping and when called on any of this, they just basically say "too bad".
Tennessee, Wisconsin, Kansas, abortion, Trump, The Mothership, Clarence Thomas, it's all related. Because the GOP long ago ceased to be a political party interested in working to bring Americans together for the common good. Because their zeitgeist has become this...
We know what's right for us and everyone else. Just shut up, let us do what we want and everything will be okay. Because we're God loving, America loving, progressive hating Americans dammit... and that makes us, not anyone else, right. So shut up so we can get back to saving America.
And if you think I'm wrong, just set aside that thought for a moment and take a ride on a few of the more conservative blogs, political sites and new sites around.
Just remember, many of the writers you encounter, who support people like Justice Thomas, spend their day in an ecosystem of admitted lies. As we've seen recently from the depositions in the Dominion Voting Systems case.
Skud,
"From what I have read thomas has been friends with crow long before he became a supreme... If they didn't have an association prior to become a supreme I would agree but that is not the case."
Let's look at what you have not read.
Thomas: "Harlan and Kathy Crow are among our dearest friends, and we have been friends for over twenty-five years."
He would have said "friends for over 32 years" to be friends prior to his appointment.
Thomas was appointed in 1991. That's 32 years.
From ProPublica:
Crow has deep connections in conservative politics. The heir to a real estate fortune, Crow oversees his family’s business empire and recently named Marxism as his greatest fear. He was an early patron of the powerful anti-tax group Club for Growth and has been on the board of AEI for over 25 years. He also sits on the board of the Hoover Institution, another conservative think tank.
A major Republican donor for decades, Crow has given more than $10 million in publicly disclosed political contributions. He’s also given to groups that keep their donors secret — how much of this so-called dark money he’s given and to whom are not fully known. “I don’t disclose what I’m not required to disclose,” Crow once told the Times.
No wonder they "became friends" years AFTER Thomas was appointed.
Doubt what? That Thomas will face any repercussions?
I realize the cons have no problem with such activities. When it is one of their own. But if a liberal supreme did the same it cause the cons to go bat shit crazy over it.
Hypocrisy in neon lights.
I saw an article which stated Thomas has been a Supreme for 32 years and a friend of Crow for 25. If all had been previously disclosed I’d be keeping my mouth shut. As it is…
Grey One Talks Sass on their phone praying their overly wide fingers convey the correct meaning.
skud If they didn't have an association prior to become a supreme I would agree but that is not "the case."
Actually, as Craig and others have factually shown, Thomas DID NOT have a relationship with Crow before Thomas became a SC justice.
They've been "old" friends ONLY since Thomas got his plum job on the highest court in the land.
How convenient!
Please forgive me if I should sound Naive, and,or show a lack of wisdom but I am sincerely, and honest, and truly can not understand why any American who Loves theor country be them Democrat, or Republican, Progressive, or Conservative, Liberal, or Undecided could actually root, and cheer for the other side to be “Dragged Through the Mud” so to say!
Whu do you and your followers want any American that is trying to help our country wish him or her ill? Such as YOU and your followers want Donald Trump to Fail, and now wish the same to Justice Clarence Thomas.
And at the same time consequently totally ignore the ills of someone such as Hunter Biden, and injustices of the President Joe Biden.
Please know that I am not trying to be funny, or that this is some kind of joke, and that I am 100 percent serious.
Gosh skud, perhaps from now on you'll verify the data or stories accuracy before putting it out there.
SCJ Thomas ought to resign from the bench But he won't and his buds in the con minority will support him all the way.
If crow did buy influence then he should be jailed, both of them. Maybe we should investigate every politician who has taken a trip on a corporate jet of been paid to speak at a corporate event. We could have dozens if not hundreds of special elections to replace those who have violated their principals.
To Crusader Frank:
You've mixed up your dislike of President Biden with "breaking the law." They're not the same thing. President Biden has not been charged with any crimes. Neither has his son, Hunter, so far.
Donald Trump has been charged with crimes -- 34 indictments worth. And there are ongoing investigations for more.
As for me and my followers wanting Donald Trump to "fail" -- Listen: He's been criminally indicted; he instigated an insurrection against his own government, he was impeached twice, and he was legally rejected by the American people in 2020, and then went on to lie to his gullibles by telling them the election was stolen, when TRUMP KNEW THAT WAS A LIE.
Trump made himself a failure all on his own. And he will forever be known as America's worst president.
You need to let the scales fall from your eyes and see reality.
skud
Harlan Crow became "dear friends" with Justice Thomas AFTER he became a SC justice. Isn't that special?
Supreme Court justices should be like Ceasar's wife, above reproach:
“Caesar's wife must be beyond reproach.” This old proverb stems from ancient Rome when Julius Caesar (supposedly) gave the reason why he divorced his second wife, Pompeia because she was suspected of some wrongdoing, and therefore he could not be associated with her anymore.
"To put it briefly, the phrase means that those holding important public positions should avoid even the appearance of wrongdoing. Their behavior must always be “above suspicion”, since any misconduct, or rumors of misconduct, by them besmirches the high office they hold."
To have a SC justice accepting luxurious gifts from an influential billionaire conservative for 20 YEARS! compromises Justice Thomas's position on the SCOTUS.
Conservatives apparently choose not to see it that way, just as Conservatives saw nothing wrong with Justice Thomas's wife engaged in activities to overthrow the 2020 electioins -- fact.
Speaking, again of Justice Thomas and Harlan Crow, everyone should ask themselves this, now that Justice Thomas has said he fill report these "gifts" in the future.
In the early 2000's, Thomas reported numerous gifts and trips from Crow on his federally mandated form. The the Los Angeles Times reported on this in 2004 and asked if what he was receiving was in appropriate for a SCOTUS judge.
Then Justice Thomas stopped reporting those gifts.
The question is why? Why did he stop doing what his actions clearly showed he should do?
Crusader Frank... where did you copy that question you've asked?
But...
No one is wishing ill will towards Fmr President Trump, Justice Thomas on anyone else. At least from this crowd.
What we want to see is the law followed, and if it is not, then there should be consequences.
Pretty simple...
And as it relates to the Biden family, Hunter or Joe, if they broke, or break the law, the same for them. But to date, we have no evidence, indictment, or Congressional referral regarding either one of them to the DOJ.
But please remember, it was the Trump DOJ, that DOJ that put lawyer Michael Cohen on trial and convicted him for his apart in the Stormy Daniels sex coverup. And in that investigation and case, there was an "individual number 1" who was then an unnamed Co-conspirator.
We now know that unnamed coconspirator was President Trump. The Trump DOJ.
Makes you wonder doesn't it?
"To put it briefly, the phrase means that those holding important public positions should avoid even the appearance of wrongdoing."
And joey b having his son use the VP's influence, his relatives receiving money from china and marvelous maxine keeping he family on the payroll for doing nothing is not the appearance of wrongdoing.
I guess we need to follow botox nan's rule, guilty until proven innocent.
skud, I’d address each of your tired “bot mots” but why? You never provide the receipts, ever. Pro Publica the journal which completed the discovery and investigation have receipts.
And skud, before you disparage good people doing good work if anyone on the Democratic side does anything similar they would do the same excellent job of discovering the facts.
Truth is subjective. What is a meal to a spider is calamitous for the fly. That is a fact.
Grey One Talks Sass on my phone
Show me where the rental for this private jet is $500K for a trip. Also show me where Thomas never paid any fare for the trip.
You make up your own stupid stories.
Anonymous,
The facts are all there to be seen. If you're too lazy to look them up, it is you who is being "unsmart."
If you had read the report from ProPublica, you wouldn't have had to come here and display your lack of facts.
I doubt anon's response is related to being too lazy. It seems more likely that it is due to his knowing the truth simply because he want to believes it true. His conditioning is complete. His relative reality if fixed for him by his ego.
What business did crow have before the court. How was he going to benefit from his relationship with thomas. I believe the answer is there is no benefit to crow unlike our elected elite who provide benefits to lobbyists in exchange for money. Why not go after all of the crooks instead of just a few.
Leslie, as soon as I can understand what you said I will comment. I'm sure you are right in your statement it is just to metaphysical to comprehend without some serious soul searching.
Exactly skud. It's good you recognize this.
Skud... whether Crow had a case in front of the court is not the issue. The judicial code and the law for federal employees is to disclose gifts of value from constituents and to avoid, as best you can, the appearance of corruption. And Thomas had done that for gifts from Crow for years until the LA Times published that reality. Then he stopped. Why? Because he didn't like the intrusion into his life.
Now, and I'll admit, for you this will be hard, but try to think about this without mentioning HRC, Biden, Trump or anyone else...
Does it look bad for a SCOTUS judge like Thomas, to accept gifts valued at over 500K? Might a reasonable person see that as a way to influence the court?
I'll give our friend, skud, another test:
How would you have reacted had you learned that Ruth Bader Ginsburg had, over 20 years, accepted gifts in the form of fabulous, expensive vacations, private jet excursions, etc., from George Soros?
(Note: Justice Thomas has, over the years, presented himself as a humble man of simple tastes -- a blatant lie. Humble men don't go on private jet luxurious vacas and don't drink $4,000 bottles of wine -- Ginni Thomsas was photographed flaunting one.)
Since your friends at the Mother Ship blame G. Soros for influencing everything negative that happens in this country, I would imagine that you and they would be outraged to learn that Justice Ginsburg was regaled with this sort of largess for so many years and that Soros expected nothing in return.
It's the appearance of "quid pro quo" that makes these sorts of arrangements and discoveries so disturbing.
And again, I'll remind people that a justice of the SCOTUS should be above even the suspicion of partisanship and influence by outside players because of their immense powers and freedom from any sort of check on whose interests are brought before the court.
When Congressional reps, US Senators, and even the POTUS engage in this sort of thing, you must remember that the American people can correct it by voting them out of office.
The only way to get rid of a corrupt SC justice is by impeachment, and it is almost nonexistent: The only justice to be impeached was Associate Justice Samuel Chase in 1805. The House of Representatives passed Articles of Impeachment against him; however, he was acquitted by the Senate.
Think about this: Justice Thomas's "dear friend" (who became his "dear friend" only after Thomas became a Supreme) Harlan Crow, in 2009, gave $500,000 to the conservative activist group Liberty Central founded by Ginni Thomas. Liberty Central endorsed several tea party-affiliated candidates the following year, with Mike Lee being the first.
Ginni Thomas, wife of SC justice Clarence, ACTIVELY worked to overthrow the free and fair election of Joseph Biden. In my and many, many other Americans' mind, that was a treasonous act against the United States.
The Thomas's have brought shame to the SCOTUS, IMO.
Why do all the stupid ones have to post as anonymous?
Answer is in the question.
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