The shadow of corruption hangs over the most conservative US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas International

Justice Clarence Thomas poses for the Supreme Court’s official portrait in Washington last October.Olivier Tullery (AFP)

The US Supreme Court’s most conservative justice, Clarence Thomas, finds himself in the eye of the hurricane for failing to declare or account for gifts he received over the years from an avid contributor to Republican campaigns. His.

Thomas, who has authored some of the Supreme Court’s most conservative rulings against abortion and gay rights, defended himself this Friday by cutting back on luxury hotels, private jets and vacations he and his wife, Victoria, took. Ginny Thomas, thanks to the generosity of their billionaire “friend” Harlan Crowe for 20 years, is a real estate magnate and Republican donor. The malpractice was brought to light on Thursday by the Investigation Department ProPublica.

Thomas, 74, argued in a statement released today by the Supreme Court that “Harlan and Kathy Crowe are part of our best friends.” “As friends often do, we [él y su esposa] We have accompanied them on a limited number of trips. The most conservative Supreme Court dean in U.S. history also vowed that he was unaware of the rules for announcing these kinds of gifts, thanks to a right-wing turn printed by Donald Trump’s presidency. Despite the anti-corruption law, it was adopted after corruption in the 1970s. At the mouth of the waterTransparency is required.

When I got to the top [en 1991]I asked my colleagues and other members of the Judiciary and told them that I should not be extended such hospitality by personal friends not connected to the Court,” he explained in the statement. Efforts to respect the rules. However, after the Judiciary’s internal regulations were changed last month, it implicitly acknowledges that its purpose is to “comply.” . [sus requerimientos] For the future. The American Judicial Conference, the governing body for judges, adopted stricter rules in March that require magistrates to disclose private air travel and stay at resorts.

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According to ProPublicaThomas traveled around the world on Crowe’s luxury yacht, flew in his private jet and stayed at an exclusive men’s-only resort in California, as well as traveling to the president’s ranch in East Texas and staying at a private compound each summer. The crow lives in the Adirondack Mountains of northeastern New York State.

Other conflicts of interest

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This is not the first time Thomas’ name has been embroiled in controversy. His wife, Ginny, a lobbyist and ardent conservative activist who once worked on Donald Trump’s campaign, denounces alleged 2020 election fraud in which he tried to baselessly prove that the presidential election was stolen from him. After the revelation of text messages and emails Ginny Thomas sent to support Trump’s cause, Democrats denounced the conflict of interest and asked the judge to recuse herself from any election case.

Thomas was appointed to the Supreme Court by Republican President George W. Bush in 1991. He was confirmed in office despite accusations of sexual harassment by former aide Anita Hill, which the judge has always denied, calling them a “lynching”. High technology”. The magistrate is also a recovering alcoholic.

Revelations of Crowe’s payments have prompted calls by some elected Democrats for his immediate resignation. Despite the lull in public life for the spring break that coincides with Easter, and despite the virtual monopoly of information about the Trump case these days, the controversy surrounding Thomas grows by the minute and threatens to snowball for Republicans. Existing polarization.

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Eden Hayes

"Wannabe gamer. Subtly charming beer buff. General pop culture trailblazer. Incurable thinker. Certified analyst."

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