As much as many might find Clarence Thomas to be a good Supreme Court Justice, he has been accused of being corrupt and bribed by Harlan Crow — a big Republican donor who has never been shy to flaunt his wealth. In a letter from September 27th, 2023, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden revealed that records show the Thomases took a round trip in 2010 from Hawaii to New Zealand aboard Crow’s private jet. Even though this particular trip remains unreported, other trips have been updated on Thomas’ financial disclosure documents.
That is what Wyden wants to know whether Thomas repaid Crow for those flights and more broadly how they related economically. These questions come at a time when there are calls for reform of the Supreme Court from Democrats and President Biden himself including things like term limits as well as enforceable ethics codes.
Wyden is worried that Crow could be using his yacht and private plane as tax-deductible expenses, a fear he says is even more pronounced because of the evasions in response given by Crow. The spokesman for Crow dismissed Wyden’s queries as harassment aimed at politicians’ enemies. The current scrutiny comes after earlier episodes involving undisclosed voyages undertaken by Thomas in 2017, 2019, and 2021. Gratifyingly more lawmakers have increased their calls for ethical reforms in the Supreme Court although it must be noted that such proposals face tough obstacles when seeking passage through Congress.