Ron Wyden reveals more undisclosed trips taken by Justice Clarence Thomas on GOP donor’s private jet

WASHINGTON, DC: Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Or) stated that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had failed to disclose more flights on a private jet owned by Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow than what was previously brought to light, on Monday, August 5, reported HuffPost.

Wyden further demanded travel and financial records related to Crow’s superyacht, the Michaela Rose, and the relationship between him and Thomas, in a letter to one of Crow's attorneys.

While the Senator shared that the details would help determine if the billionaire had claimed business deductions on personal trips to evade taxes, Crow’s legal team has repeatedly avoided providing such records.

According to Fix the Court, a judicial reform nonprofit, Thomas accepted more than $4 million in gifts during his three decades tenure as a Supreme Court justice, almost 10 times the combined value of gifts received by his colleagues.

Gabe Roth, the executive director of Fix the Court, stated back in June, "Supreme Court justices should not be accepting gifts, let alone the hundreds of freebies worth millions of dollars they’ve received over the years."

“The ethics crisis at the Court won’t begin to abate until justices adopt stricter gift acceptance rules,” he added.

Ron Wyden's letter to Harlan Crow's attorney

Sen Wyden wrote to Ron Crow's attorney, “On several occasions, I have asked directly how many times Justice Thomas traveled aboard the Michaela Rose and private jets paid for by Mr Crow, and whether Mr Crow deducted the costs of these particular trips on tax filings. These should not be difficult questions to answer."

“The possibility that Mr Crow may have lavished secret gifts on a sitting Supreme Court justice and then impermissibly reduced his taxable income by millions of dollars with impunity requires legislative scrutiny.”

The Senate Finance Committee has been looking into the financial relationship between Crow and Thomas as the Biden administration is working towards introducing major ethics reform to SCOTUS. Separate investigations have previously revealed that Thomas accepted at least five luxury trips from the real estate mogul.

In Monday's letter, Wyden claimed to have found another such undisclosed trip. According to international flight records from US Customs and Border Protection, Thomas and his wife Ginni Thomas took a round trip from Hawaii to New Zealand aboard Crow’s private jet with Crow himself, between November 19 and 27, 2010.

Thomas also joined Crow on trips to Greece, Russia, and the Baltics via private jet, none of which he had disclosed in financial forms.

“The fact a Supreme Court justice accepted free travel to Russia paid for by a billionaire and failed to disclose the trip as required by law is undoubtedly concerning and merits continued investigation,” Wyden wrote. “Other government officials have been charged for making false statements on financial disclosures for less serious violations than the evidence suggests Justice Thomas committed.”

Internet calls for Justice Thomas' impeachment

Netizens reacting to Wyden sharing the news on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) were furious at the revelations and demanded strict action be taken against him. The following examples demonstrate the sentiment.

"Thomas is corrupt. Toss him out," wrote a user.

"He should resign," stated another.

"Thomas keeps failing to disclose these billionaire trips as required by law. Stop coddling him and charge him with criminal ethics violations," slammed a third.

"Enough is enough! Impeach him already!" exclaimed a fourth user.

"He has to go!! ASAP," echoed a fifth.

 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.