Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) has requested documents from Harlan Crow, a Texas billionaire who has donated millions to conservative causes, to investigate whether his gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas violated federal tax law. Chief Justice John Roberts has responded to a request from Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) for Roberts to testify about Thomas’s relationship with Crow by providing a statement of ethics principles and practices to which all current Supreme Court members subscribe. Wyden's letter to Crow requests documents and communications related to the gifts, as well as any records of payments made to Thomas or his wife, to investigate whether the gifts violated federal tax law.
Posts tagged as “Clarence Thomas”
Chief Justice John Roberts has declined an invitation from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin to testify before the committee on May 2, citing judicial independence and separation of powers concerns. The revelations about Justice Thomas' close ties to a billionaire Republican donor have “contributed to a crisis of public confidence” in the nation’s highest bench. Roberts' decision to decline the invitation is likely to add to the controversy surrounding the court and will be met with further action to address the ethical issues raised by the reports on Justice Thomas.
Dick Durbin, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has invited Chief Justice John Roberts to testify on Supreme Court ethics rules in light of reports of Justice Clarence Thomas' undisclosed acceptance of luxury gifts and real estate transactions. Durbin believes Roberts is an articulate and well-schooled man who would do well in responding to senators' questions, and that Thomas' reported conduct would amount to a violation of law if he were a circuit court judge. The hearing is expected to take place in early October.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has invited Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss ethics reform in the judiciary following reports of Justice Clarence Thomas' undisclosed gifts and trips from a Republican megadonor. Roberts has been asked to testify on potential reforms to the ethics rules, but not answer questions from committee members. The invitation has been met with criticism, and it is unclear if Roberts will accept. The committee has set a hearing date of May 2 for the potential testimony.
Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) has called for the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas due to his relationship with a GOP megadonor, prompting Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin to promise a hearing on the alleged ethics violations. Reports suggest that Thomas failed to disclose luxury travel, gifts and a real estate transaction involving the donor, Texas-based billionaire Harlan Crow. Senate Democrats have expressed their disapproval but have yet to outline a plan to investigate Thomas.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin has expressed outrage over the revelation that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has received gifts and luxury travel from a Republican donor, prompting a debate among Senate Democrats over the need for a hearing on Supreme Court ethics. However, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to help Democrats temporarily replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the Senate Judiciary Committee while she is ill, effectively blocking any hopes of pushing through judicial nominations.
A new report from ProPublica has revealed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas failed to properly report gifts from a billionaire benefactor, Harlan Crow, involving the sale of three properties in Savannah, Georgia. In response, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has called on the body overseeing the federal judiciary to refer Justice Thomas to the Department of Justice for investigation. Ethics law experts have noted that Thomas’ failure to report the sale of the properties appears to be a violation of the law, and the consequences of this violation remain unclear.
Harlan Crow, a prominent Republican donor and vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, recently purchased a single-story home and two vacant lots in Savannah, Georgia from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, his mother, and the family of Thomas' late brother. This marks the first known instance of money flowing from Crow to Thomas, and raises questions about their relationship and potential conflicts of interest, though the Supreme Court has yet to comment on the purchase.