US SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas defends non-disclosure of luxury trips of GOP megadonor

United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has come under scrutiny again for failing to disclose the luxury trips and gifts he has accepted from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow. Thomas said he was advised that he was not required to make such disclosures of “personal hospitality” under federal rules.

Thomas issued a statement Friday last week, addressing the reports of his non-disclosure of luxury trips funded by Crow over the decades. Thomas maintained that he was not required to make such disclosures of “personal hospitality” as per federal rules and that he always sought to adhere to the disclosure guidelines. Thomas also said that he and his wife Virginia “Ginni” Thomas had long thought of Crow and his wife Kathy Crow as one of their dearest friends.

“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,” said Thomas, who also cited the new guidelines adopted by the Judicial Conference that was in charge of financial disclosure requirements for the entire federal judiciary including the Supreme Court, and that he plans on adhering to the new guidelines moving forward.

The statement by Thomas follows Thursday’s report by ProPublica that Thomas accepted luxury trips from Crow over the decades despite federal laws requiring the disclosure of most gifts. This has since prompted Senate Democrats to call for an investigation into the matter. The report has also once again raised questions about the weak disclosure rules regarding trips and other types of gifts and recusal rules for federal judges.

In response to ProPublica, Crow said in a statement that he “never sought to influence” Thomas on “legal or political” issues.

Democratic Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday weighed in on the report and called for Thomas to be impeached and his advisers investigated. Ocasio-Cortez told CNN that it was the responsibility of the House of Representatives to investigate the matter through impeachment but noted that progress would be unlikely as the Republican Party controls the House with a slim majority.