Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is again at the focus of controversy as new details emerge regarding his undisclosed financial ties to Republican billionaire Harlan Crow.
He recently released financial disclosure forms for 2022, revealing that Crow paid for three private flights and meals for Justice Thomas throughout the year, as per the New York Times.
Justice Clarence Thomas and the Controversy Surrounding Harlan Crow
This disclosure has raised concerns about the highest levels of the US justice system's ethical standards and transparency. In his 2022 financial disclosure form, Justice Thomas acknowledged that Crow had flown him home from Dallas in February.
This voyage followed Thomas' keynote address at the American Enterprise Institute's conference on Crow's property, Old Parkland. Crow's involvement was attributed to an "unexpected ice storm" that made commercial travel problematic.
In May, Crow provided private flights for Justice Thomas on another excursion. This time, the stated reason was the "increased security risk" caused by the Dobbs abortion decision's disclosure. Thomas once again attended the American Enterprise Institute's conference in Texas at Old Parkland.
A third trip, funded by Crow in July, brought Justice Thomas to Keese Mill, New York, near Camp Topridge, Crow's private resort in the Adirondacks. Justice Thomas also divulged details regarding a 2014 real estate transaction with Crow but claimed that he had not received any gifts from Crow in 2022.
These revelations follow an April report by ProPublica that exposed Justice Thomas' and Harlan Crow's two-decade-long history of undisclosed travels and ties. These undisclosed excursions included vacations aboard Crow's megayacht, flights on Crow's private jet, visits to Crow's East Texas ranch, and annual stays at Crow's exclusive Adirondacks retreat, Camp Topridge.
Known for its exclusivity, the opulent Camp Topridge features distinct elements such as a replica of Hagrid's hut from Harry Potter, a 1950s-style soda fountain, and bronze statues of gnomes.
A 2019 trip to Indonesia with Crow, which included private flights and time on Crow's yacht, Michaela Rose, was cited in a ProPublica report as a particularly extravagant excursion. In stark contrast to Justice Thomas's annual salary of $280,000, this excursion was estimated to cost approximately $500,000.
Notably, another attendee on the Indonesia trip, Mark Paoletta, who was then the general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget in the Trump administration, disclosed that he sought advice from an ethics attorney and reimbursed Crow for the trip's expenses. The precise amount he paid is currently unknown, Daily Mail reported.
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Justice Thomas's Unreported Yacht Trips Raise Ethical Concerns
In addition, ProPublica's investigation disclosed that Justice Thomas had traveled to New Zealand and Savannah, Georgia, aboard the yacht. Photos of Justice Thomas donning a shirt emblazoned with the Michaela Rose logo surfaced, indicating his participation in unreported trips.
According to ethics experts consulted by ProPublica, Justice Thomas should have disclosed these private flights and yacht excursions.
Former government ethics attorney and current member of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Virginia Canter, expressed concern over Justice Thomas's behavior, stating that he appeared to have "completely disregarded his higher ethical obligations" and that such financial ties could erode public confidence in the judiciary.
In response to the allegations, Harlan Crow admitted that he had extended hospitality to Justice Thomas over the years but emphasized that Thomas had never requested it. Crow presented this as identical to the hospitality extended to other associates.
ProPublica also discovered that Crow had paid approximately $100,000 in tuition fees for Justice Thomas's grandnephew to attend Hidden Lake Academy and Randolph-Macon Academy, two military schools in that Crow had participated.
As the controversy surrounding the financial ties of Justice Clarence Thomas unfolds, it raises important questions about transparency, ethics, and the duties of public officials at the highest levels of government, according to The Guardian.
