Courts Subcommittee Ranking Member Johnson Renews Call for Justice Thomas to Resign
DECATUR, GA – Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) is calling for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to resign in the aftermath of ProPublica’s story detailing that the justice has for more than 20 years been treated to luxury vacations and travel by billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow, who also paid Thomas’ wife a salary of $120,000 for her role as founder of a Tea Party group. He renewed his call after a second ProPublica report exposed that Justice Thomas failed to disclose the sale of properties to Crow.
“Though not surprised, I am deeply disappointed and angered by the revelations in the ProPublica report that Justice Thomas has been brazenly corrupted and compromised by Republican dark-money, megadonor Harlan Crow,” said Rep. Johnson, ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts. “Over the past 20 years as Justice Thomas sanctimoniously paraded as a pristine and principled man, he was being wined and dined with private jet and yacht travel while also being lavished with exquisite accommodations, meals and expensive gifts -- including a $19,000 Bible.
“And if that was not enough, Harlan Crow put money into Ginni Thomas’ Tea Party operation, thus providing the Thomas’s with cash they could spend on their frequent junkets in the company of a who’s who of Republican mega donors with recurring interests before the Supreme Court. How could all of this lavish spending by Crow not influence Justice Thomas, who refused to answer ProPublica’s questions about their well-researched findings?
“To protect what is left of public respect for the United States Supreme Court, Justice Thomas must resign immediately. If he fails to do so, his fellow justices should censure him. Moreover, the Department of Justice should investigate his violation of federal law in failing to disclose his private yacht, jet travel and real estate deals as required by law, and the state bar associations to which he belongs should commence investigations to determine whether Justice Thomas remains fit to retain his license to practice law.”
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