Democratic senators urge chief justice to probe Thomas trips
Lawmakers are calling for Chief Justice John Roberts to investigate Clarence Thomas after it was revealed that he took undisclosed luxury trips.
LEARN MOREApril 17, 2023
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is planning to amend his financial disclosure forms to declare the sale of three properties that he once owned in Savannah, Georgia, according to CNN.
This is related to a 2014 real estate deal which Thomas said he didn't initially report because he didn't think he had to, according to sources.
Republican mega donor Harlan Crow paid more than $130,000 for those properties, which include the home were Thomas' mother still lives. Propublica first reported on the transaction last week, citing that there was a blank space in the disclosure form, which could have been used to report the private real estate transaction.
This would mark the first known instance of Justice Thomas accepting a direct financial payout from Crow. There's been a lot of talk about the lavish vacations and trips that Crow gifted Thomas and his wife, Ginn — including international cruises on Crow's mega-yacht, private jet flights and stays at Crow's resort. However, the real estate deal is a direct cash real estate transaction, so it's a bit different.
Crow has said he bought Thomas' mother's home to preserve it for posterity "to one day create a public museum at the Thomas home dedicated to telling the story of our nation's second black Supreme Court Justice." However, there are ethical questions surrounding the real estate deal, considering Propublica's reporting on Crow having given some $10 million in political contributions and supporting right-winged ideals in the judiciary.
Sources say aides will help Thomas fill out his forms.
