Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was accused of failing to disclose a yacht trip to Russia and a private helicopter flight to a palace in the Presidente by Vladimir Putin hometown, among a series of other gifts and loans from the businessman Harlan Corvo.
Buried on page 14 of a Letter that two Democratic senators sent to the attorney general Merrick Garland on Tuesday, in which they urged Garland to appoint a special counsel to investigate Thomas, there was an astonishing list of dozens of “probable gifts and undisclosed proceeds” from Crow, Crow’s affiliated companies and “other donors ”.
In the letter, Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) said Thomas, one of the court’s staunch supporters conservative judgesThey may even have committed tax fraud and violated other federal laws by “secretly” accepting gifts and income potentially worth millions.
“The Senate is not a prosecutorial body and the Supreme Court does not have its own fact-finding function, which makes the executive role even more important if there ever is any complete determination of the facts,” says the letter requesting the appointment of a special prosecutor.
“We do not make this request lightly,” the letter said.
The list of potentially secret gifts also includes a loan of more than $267,000 from Thomas’ close friend Anthony Welters, the Baltic yacht trip to Russia and the helicopter trip to the Yusupov Palace in St. Petersburg. ProPública first reported last year the existence of many undisclosed gifts and lavish trips from Crow.
Sens. Dick Durban and Ron Wyden
Senators Dick Durban and Ron Wyden
Additionally, Judge Thomas is accused of failing to disclose his great-nephew’s tuition, free housing, real estate transactions and home renovations. The action adds to efforts by Democratic senators to hold Thomas accountable for alleged ethical controversies.
According to the senators, Thomas’ conduct could violate the Government Ethics Act, which requires officials such as Supreme Court justices to file annual reports disclosing gifts and income accepted from outside sources.
“It is a crime,” the report says, “to knowingly and willfully fail to file or report such information.”
As of 2023, two Senate committees have been reviewing the 1991 Welters loan, which was related to Thomas’ purchase of a luxury trailer. riots previously responded to a New York Times request to comment on the loan only to say he was “satisfied”.
Thomas, in turn, late released some – but not all – Crow gifts this year and have defended those present as “personal hospitality” from some of his “dearest friends” and his wife.
“The evidence gathered thus far clearly suggests that Judge Thomas committed numerous willful violations of federal ethics and misrepresentation laws and raises significant questions about whether he and his wealthy benefactors did so,” Durban and Wyden wrote.
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