Why Supreme Court ethics legislation is problematic: Carrie Severino
Judicial Crisis Network’s Carrie Severino weighs in on the debate over Supreme Court oversight on ‘Sunday Night In America.’
Far-left “Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is demanding the Department of Justice target Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas over his relationship with a Republican megadonor and others she claims he benefited from financially.
In a Friday letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Ocasio-Cortez, along with four of her progressive colleagues, called for the DOJ to launch an investigation into Thomas “for consistently failing to report significant gifts he received from Harlan Crow and other billionaires for nearly two decades — in defiance of his duty under federal law.”
“First, Justice Thomas has received numerous undisclosed valuable gifts from Harlan Crow over the course of at least fifteen years, despite certifying repeatedly that his financial disclosure forms are “accurate, true, and complete,” in certifications “subject to civil and criminal sanctions,” the letter read.
The letter cited an April ProPublica investigation that found Thomas’ close friendship with real estate developer Harlan Crow allowed him to accompany the Texas billionaire on luxury vacations on his private jet and yacht, as well as free stays on Crow’s vast vacation property, among other perks.
It went on to accuse Thomas of not recusing himself from cases “before the court in which there was potential conflict of interest,” and later cited other ProPublica investigations about additional gifts Thomas reportedly received from other wealthy individuals.
“No one is above the law. For two decades, Justice Thomas failed to report millions in gifts. Today, we asked DOJ to investigate Thomas for violating the Ethics of Government Act of 1978. We are joined by Ranking Members [Jerrold] Nadler & [Jamie] Raskin, and Judiciary Members [Ted] Lieu & Hank Johnson,” Ocastio-Cortez wrote on social media.
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In April, Thomas issued a rare statement after the first ProPublica report was published, defending the travel he took with his friends over many years, and explaining that he has always followed Supreme Court guidance.
“Harlan and Kathy Crow are among our dearest friends, and we have been friends for over twenty-five years,” Thomas said. “As friends do, we have joined them on a number of family trips during the more than quarter-century we have known them.”
“Early in my tenure at the Court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable,” he added.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. (Getty Images)
Fox News Digital has reached out to a representative of Thomas and the DOJ for comment.
Fox News’ Brianna Herlihy, Shannon Bream and Bill Mears contributed to this report.