Conservatives are rallying behind Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas following reports about his undisclosed financial and personal ties to Republican megadonor Harlan Crow.
The Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) James Taranto published an op-ed Sunday correcting parts of the narrative surrounding Thomas. He accused liberal investigative outlet ProPublica of “admitting its journalism has an agenda” in its reporting about Thomas and Crow.
The Truth About Clarence Thomas’s Disclosures https://t.co/T6ELeEHR8M
— James Taranto (@jamestaranto) April 16, 2023
“Give ProPublica credit for admitting its journalism has an agenda. So does mine, as the word ‘opinion’ atop this page should make clear. But ProPublica’s acknowledgment that it’s in the opinion business doesn’t excuse it from the obligation to report facts accurately, carefully and thoroughly,” Taranto wrote.
Likewise, the New York Post published an op-ed by conservative author Stephen Hayward on Friday defending Thomas from the left’s criticism. “The manufactured ‘scandal’ of Justice Clarence Thomas’ relationship with philanthropist Harlan Crow unites two of the left’s chief bigotries today — a hatred of black conservatives and a hatred of billionaires,” Hayward wrote. (RELATED: ‘Big Breathless Nothingburger’: Conservative Legal Scholars, Lawmakers Blast ‘Partisan’ Justice Thomas Report)
“Given the left’s relentless attacks on Thomas ever since bogus sexual-harassment charges failed to derail his confirmation back in 1991, the only surprise is that it took so long to come up with this angle,” he continued.
ProPublica published a lengthy report April 6 about undisclosed luxury gifts Justice Thomas received from Crow over the past 20 years and cited unnamed experts who claimed Thomas violated disclosure rules by concealing their relationship.
“The latest in the vicious smears directed at Justice Thomas. The Left will stop at nothing—no matter how scurrilous— to try to destroy Justice Thomas and the Court,” Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted April 8, sharing an op-ed by the WSJ Editorial Board.
“The left is furious it lost control of the Supreme Court, and it wants it back by whatever means possible. The latest effort is a smear on Justice Thomas,” Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn tweeted April 8, with a link to the editorial board’s op-ed.
“God Bless Justice Thomas and his family!” Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan tweeted April 10.
“The Left will endlessly attack a patriot like Justice Clarence Thomas but say nothing as George Soros’ son visits the White House on what is essentially a monthly basis,” Republican Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert tweeted April 11.
Appellate court Justices Thomas Hardiman and James Ho defended Thomas during a Wednesday event at Princeton University, National Review reported. “The thing that I thought was weird about the Justice Thomas thing is the ‘scandal,’ to use your word, there was no intimation at any time, ever, that his billionaire friend ever had any business before the Supreme Court,” Judge Hardiman said.
Judge Ho, who once reportedly clerked for Thomas, differentiated between “an actual instance of corruption” and “the mere perception” of it. “I think the appearance issue is absolutely important,” he said. “The judiciary, like any human institution, isn’t perfect, because none of us are perfect.”
ProPublica followed up with a story Thursday about an undisclosed 2014 real estate transaction between Thomas and Crow involving the house where Thomas’ mother was living.
The Washington Post reported Sunday about Thomas reporting income from a defunct real estate company called Ginger, Ltd., Partnership that was owned by his family. The firm shut down in 2006 and reopened with a similar name Thomas did not use on his disclosure forms, WaPo reported, citing state incorporation records.
“The recent disgusting attempt to discredit Justice Clarence Thomas is yet another inexcusable and blatant partisan attack, designed only to mislead the public and smear an honorable man,” Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee tweeted Friday.
“Clarence Thomas is a hero who did nothing wrong,” Lee tweeted Sunday night from another account.
Thomas will amend his financial disclosure forms to include the real estate transaction with Crow, CNN reported Monday, citing a source close to the justice.
Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is leading the liberal chorus calling for Thomas’ impeachment because of his undisclosed relationship with Crow. “This degree of corruption is shocking – almost cartoonish. Thomas must be impeached,” she tweeted after ProPublica’s initial report. (RELATED: Dems Use Clarence Thomas Report To Call For His Resignation, Court Expansion And Reform)
This is beyond party or partisanship. This degree of corruption is shocking – almost cartoonish. Thomas must be impeached.
Barring some dramatic change, this is what the Roberts court will be known for: rank corruption, erosion of democracy, and the stripping of human rights. https://t.co/t8fnGLVhbV
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 6, 2023
“Thomas must be impeached and SCOTUS needs a binding code of ethics,” Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a close ally of Ocasio-Cortez, said April 6. Legal experts from watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington wrote a letter Friday calling for Thomas to be investigated for the transaction.
“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,” Thomas said in a statement released April 7.
“I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure, and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines,” he continued.