Democrats Criticize Justice Clarence Thomas Yet Their Investigation Strategy Remains Vague
Democratic senators expressed their disapproval of Justice Clarence Thomas on Tuesday, following reports of the Supreme Court conservative not disclosing certain luxury travels, gifts, and a real estate transaction linked to a prominent GOP donor. However, their approach to investigating the conservative judge remains vague.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin assured that his committee would conduct a hearing on the alleged ethics violations in the coming weeks, but did not divulge any further details about whether they would seek testimony from Thomas or others knowledgeable about his relationship with the Texas-based billionaire, Harlan Crow.
Durbin, when asked about issuing subpoenas, stated that no decision has been reached. He emphasized that it was too soon to provide more information about what his committee’s hearing on Supreme Court ethics might entail. Last week, Durbin and other Judiciary Democrats wrote a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts, urging him to initiate an investigation into the allegations against Thomas.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat and member of the Judiciary Committee, stated that the American public deserves to know the truth about Justice Thomas's apparent violation of the law. He expressed his hope for Thomas's voluntary appearance and suggested considering subpoenas for him and others, such as Harlan Crow, who may have pertinent information.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are still formulating their response to the allegations against Thomas, as they attempt to spotlight the issue within their broader campaign for a Supreme Court code of ethics.
Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, expressed his concern over the recent reports of potential unethical and potentially illegal conduct at the highest levels of the judiciary. Durbin concurred, stating that the Supreme Court should not wait for Congress to act to rectify the situation.
Details emerged recently about unreported luxury travels and gifts from Crow to Thomas. Thomas claimed that these gifts were not reported as he was informed he didn't need to do so under an exemption in the court's disclosure rules for personal hospitality. However, in response to these allegations, the Judicial Conference recently closed a loophole in the rules, which Thomas claimed to follow moving forward.
Sen. Mitt Romney expressed his concern over the allegations against Thomas, a sentiment rarely voiced by a Republican. Meanwhile, other Republicans defended Thomas, asserting that it's not the role of Congress to enforce an ethics code on the Supreme Court.
This is not the first time Thomas, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by President George H.W. Bush in 1991, has been involved in an ethics controversy. Despite this, Republicans have shown little interest in joining Democrats in imposing an ethics code on the justices.