Friday, April 7, 2023

Clarence Thomas corruption scandal

Clarence Thomas, a Supreme Court Justice, has a long-term friendship with a billionaire who buys him off. Thomas hasn't disclosed what he's received. He has instead reported income from nonexistent companies.

Crow gives Thomas lavish gifts

"...Thomas issued a statement last Friday — explaining that the reason he hadn’t disclosed any of this was that Crow and his wife are among Clarence and Ginni Thomases’ “dearest friends” and that “as friends do, we have joined them on a number of family trips during the more than quarter century we have known them."

Thomas further explained that he thought he didn’t need to report these gifts on annual disclosure forms because when he first joined the court he was told that “personal hospitality from close personal friends” need not be reported.

This is dangerous rubbish. Thomas has been a member of the Supreme Court since October 1991, which means he met his “close personal friend” Harlan Crow after Thomas was already a justice. And Thomas has been accepting Crow’s sumptuous hospitality almost from that start. Which is exactly the problem."

"How to become one of Clarence and Ginni’s dearest friends: Who is he kidding?" Robert Reich, Substack, April 13, 2023.

Also buys real estate from him

Also: "Billionaire Harlan Crow Bought Property From Clarence Thomas. The Justice Didn’t Disclose the Deal." by Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski, Pro Publica, April 13, 2023

"Thomas’ mother still lives on one of the properties and doesn't pay rent." — HuffPost

Crow has had a personal interest in Supreme Court cases

Crow has fascist statues in his yard

That last tweet points to: "Clarence Thomas’s Billionaire Benefactor Collects Hitler Artifacts," Sylvie McNamara, The Washingtonian, April 7, 2023. It begins: "When Republican megadonor Harlan Crow isn’t lavishing Justice Clarence Thomas with free trips on his private plane and yacht (in possible violation of Supreme Court ethics rules), he lives a quiet life in Dallas among his historical collections. These collections include Hitler artifacts — two of his paintings of European cityscapes, a signed copy of Mein Kampf, and assorted Nazi memorabilia — plus a garden full of statues of the 20th century’s worst despots."

Crow also donated to two Democratic senators who often broke ranks to side with Republicans

How Thomas could be criminally referred

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Invited To Testify About Ethics Before Senate Huff Post, April 20, 2023

On November 13, 2023, the Supreme Court "announced a code of conduct in an attempt to bolster the public’s confidence in the court after months of news stories alleging that some of the justices have been skirting ethics regulations." — CNN

boat

"Senate Judiciary Committee Has Yet to Subpoena Harlan Crow or Leonard Leo": More than two months after authorizing subpoenas for two key figures in the Supreme Court’s ethics crisis, Senate Democrats have yet to issue them. Andy Kroll, ProPublica, Feb. 16, 2024

Previously, on the January 6 connection

He accepted at least 38 luxury vacations

Revealed in August 2023: Since he was appointed Justice in 1991, several billionaires sent him on at least 38 luxury vacations, which he did not disclose.

He had financial troubles

This story begins: "In early January 2000, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was at a five-star beach resort in Sea Island, Georgia, hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt." Why? Well, "the month before, the justice had borrowed $267,000 from a friend to buy a high-end RV." He privately warned one Republican member of Congress that "one or more justices will leave soon" if they didn't get pay raises. "In other private conversations, Thomas repeatedly talked about removing a ban on justices giving paid speeches." Many rich people gave him gifts. "Precisely what led so many people to offer Thomas money and other gifts remains an open question."
— A “Delicate Matter”: Clarence Thomas’ Private Complaints About Money Sparked Fears He Would Resign. Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan, Alex Mierjeski and Brett Murphy. ProPublica. Dec 18, 2023.

Elites

Elites aren't entirely self-made and self-sustaining. From where do they receive support? From so-called "think tanks."

"Alejandro Chafuen, an Argentine American businessman who took over the Atlas Network presidency in 1991 and remained in charge until 2018, once described the network’s audience in one word: elites.

'To answer the question ‘Who is the real customer of a think tank?’' he said, 'I will refer to the often ignored passage of Ludwig von Mises, in his book Bureaucracy. In it he describes a type of person — elite — who I believe is not only the real customer of Atlas and many think tanks, but also our ideal customer, who benefits us and is served by us.'"

— Meet the Shadowy Global Network Vilifying Climate Protesters For decades, the Atlas Network has used its reach and influence to spread conservative philosophy—and criminalize climate protest. Amy Westervelt and Geoff Dembicki, New Republic, September 12, 2023

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