AOC Wants To Know Who “Advised” Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to Not Disclose Gifts

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) criticized Justice Clarence Thomas’s response in explaining his relationship with billionaire donor Harlan Crow on Sunday, saying the timeline of his friendship and the lack of gift disclosures create “a very, very serious problem.”

On CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, AOC pointed out that while Thomas said that he had been friends with Crow and his wife since 1996, Thomas has served on the Supreme Court since 1991. “What he is admitting in his statement—in an attempt to defend himself—is that he began this relationship with a billionaire and receiving these sorts of gifts after he was appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States. I think that in and of itself indicates a very, very serious problem,” she said.

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ProPublica first reported the secret gifts from Republican donor and billionaire real estate developer Harlan Crow, which span over the last 20 years. The gifts include gallivanting around the globe—including to Crow’s private resort— via the billionaire’s private jet and yacht. The value of the gifts exceeds $500,000, the bombshell report said, yet as a public servant, Thomas earns $285,000 per year.

Thomas replied to ProPublica’s bombshell report with a statement on Thursday, saying he had been friends with Crow for 25 years, and that he 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 that he has “always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines. These guidelines are now being changed, as the committee of the Judicial Conference responsible for financial disclosure for the entire federal judiciary just this past month announced new guidance. And, it is, of course, my intent to follow this guidance in the future.”