As an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas makes a measly $230,000 a year, so naturally he needs all the financial help he can get. And he gets lots of it, chiefly from his billionaire pal Harlan Crow, friend of the Court and renowned collector of Nazi memorabilia. A true believer in family values, Mr. Crow:
Paid the $120,000 salary of Mrs. Ginni Thomas and propped up her far-right Liberty Central lobby;
Paid Justice Thomas for his elderly mother’s house, fixed it up, and allowed her to live there rent-free; and
Paid the private school tuition of Mr. Thomas’s legal ward, his grandnephew Mark Martin.
Justice Thomas didn’t disclose any of this to the Court in his required annual financial disclosure reports. He also didn’t reveal his trips on Harlan Crow’s private jet or megayacht or their luxury vacation excursions.
Most of these issues were uncovered bythe non-profit ProPublica newsroom and the New York Times.
More:
“A brief timeline of Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow and ethics questions,” Aaron Blake, Washington Post
“Billionaire Offered Tuition to Send Ginni Thomas to Law School for Second Time,” Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker
Related:
“Clarence Thomas has for years claimed income from a defunct real estate firm,” Shawn Boburg and Emma Brown, Washington Post
“More ethics questions rise for Supreme Court justices,” Sareen Habeshian, Axios
“Judicial activist directed fees to Clarence Thomas’s wife, urged ‘no mention of Ginni,’” Emma Brown, Shawn Boburg and Jonathan O’Connell, Washington Post
The real reason for the Supreme Court’s corruption crisis,” Ian Millhiser, Vox
Updates:
“CREW files civil and criminal complaint against Clarence Thomas,” Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) [Read the complaint]
“Clarence Thomas Promises To Adopt Code Of Ethics For The Right Price,” The Onion
“Thomas’ Monsanto years offer window into justice’s enviro roots,” Pamela King, E&E News
“The strange story of Clarence and Ginni Thomas,” Lauren Mechling, The Guardian
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