The Saga of Clarence Thomas and His Luxury RV Takes a Disturbing Turn

Thomas also has not been forthcoming, the Democrats say. Since the Times story broke, Wyden’s Finance Committee has sought information about the loan and, through Welters’s cooperation, has obtained a limited number of documents related to it. As the committee announced last fall, those materials showed only that Thomas had paid back some of the interest and appeared to reveal that, in 2008, Welters forgave most or all of the principal of the loan.

But Thomas did not report this on his 2008 Financial Disclosure Report, the committee said, and in response to the committee’s questions, he has not clarified whether he reported any of that money as income on tax filings.

Which brings us to the present. The senators have been pressing Thomas’s lawyer, Elliot Berke, to provide additional detail on the forgiven loan, and last month, Berke responded with a letter. But once again, the letter—which TNR viewed—offered little additional clarity. It said Thomas “made all payments” on a “regular basis until the terms of the agreement were satisfied in full” and that he’s complied with judicial disclosure requirements.

brain_overclocked on May 16th, 2024 at 17:06 UTC »

Faced with a barrage of ethics scandals that have tarred the Supreme Court as riddled with corruption, Justice Clarence Thomas has sought to cast them as merely an outgrowth of politics in Washington, D.C. “It’s a hideous place,” Thomas said recently of the nation’s capital, in some of his most extensive remarks about his ethical lapses, noting that he’s been subject to “nastiness” and “lies.” Thomas added, “It’s one of the reasons we like R.V.ing.”

So it’s fitting that the latest sordid turn in these sagas involves none other than Thomas’s recreational vehicle, that symbol of his yearning to escape Washington to mingle with reg’lar folk who don’t subject each other to the viciousness he faces in the capital.

Thomas is still refusing to reveal whether he repaid the principal on the $267,000 loan that he received from Anthony Welters, a wealthy health care executive and personal friend, to purchase his R.V. in 1999, according to a letter that Senators Ron Wyden and Sheldon Whitehouse have sent to an attorney for Thomas. ... “Your client’s refusal to clarify how the loan was resolved raises serious concerns regarding violations of federal tax laws,” the senators write. Wyden chairs the Finance Committee, and Whitehouse chairs the Judiciary Committee’s panel on federal courts, both of which are spearheading an investigation of Supreme Court ethics scandals.

For those who haven't read it yet, ProPublica just won a Pulitzer Prize for their exposé into Supreme Court gifts:

ProPublica Wins Pulitzer Prize for Supreme Court Coverage (MBFC LC/H/HC)

ProPublica won the prestigious public service Pulitzer Prize for what the judges described as “groundbreaking and ambitious reporting that pierced the thick wall of secrecy surrounding the Supreme Court to reveal how a small group of politically influential billionaires wooed justices with lavish gifts and travel, pushing the Court to adopt its first code of conduct.” The prize is given to the staff of a news organization that performed “meritorious public service.” It is the seventh Pulitzer Prize for ProPublica.

Here is the link to the series, it's a hell of a read:

Friends of the Court | SCOTUS Justices’ Beneficial Relationships With Billionaire Donors

April 6, 2023 - Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire

April 13, 2023 - Billionaire Harlan Crow Bought Property From Clarence Thomas. The Justice Didn’t Disclose the Deal.

May 4, 2023 - Clarence Thomas Had a Child in Private School. Harlan Crow Paid the Tuition.

June 20, 2023 - Alito Took Unreported Luxury Trip With GOP Donor Paul Singer

Towards the bottom of the series (first link) you can find additional articles regarding the impact of the series.

Last Week Tonight also put out a video on Supreme Court ethics:

Supreme Court Ethics: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

SlippidySlappity on May 16th, 2024 at 16:21 UTC »

“It’s a hideous place,” Thomas said recently of the nation’s capital, in some of his most extensive remarks about his ethical lapses, noting that he’s been subject to “nastiness” and “lies.” Thomas added, “It’s one of the reasons we like R.V.ing.”.

Mother fucker just rubbing it in everyone's face.

thenewrepublic on May 16th, 2024 at 15:14 UTC »

“We’re giving the justice the opportunity to clear this huge mess up,” Sen. Ron Wyden told TNR. “Nobody in this country is above the law. Not even Supreme Court justices.”