Senate Judiciary Chair says Clarence Thomas revelations ‘just get worse’ as committee probes ethical concerns
Last week, the Senate Judicary Committee held a hearing regarding ethics on the Supreme Court
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) said the “tangled web” of revelations surrounding Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s lack of financial disclosures gets “worse and worse by the day”.
Speaking with Jake Tapper for CNN’s State of the Union, Mr Durbin expressed disappointment in the Supreme Court and Chief Justice John Roberts for failing to enact regulations regarding Justice’s disclosures.
“I thought I had heard it all but more disclosures about [Justice Thomas’] activity- just embarrass me,” Mr Durbin said.
Last month, ProPublica revealed that Justice Thomas had received lavish and expensive vacations from GOP donor Harlan Crow over the years without disclosing them. The investigation suggested that the heaps of gifts possibly played a part in Justice Thomas’ decision-making as a Supreme Court Justice.
Since then, more information has come to light showing how Justice Thomas has benefitted from Mr Crow’s generosity. In another ProPublica report, it was revealed that Mr Crow paid thousands of dollars in tuition for Justice Thomas’ grand-nephew to attend boarding schools.
Yet another ProPublica report revealed that Justice Thomas’ mother was living in a home rent-free, paid for by Mr Crow.
“The question is whether it embarrasses the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice,” Mr Durbin added.
Mr Durbin invited Justice Roberts to testify in front of the Judiciary Committee on the possible influence that the Justices’ undisclosed financial ventures could have had on rulings.
Notably, Justice Roberts declined.
“The bottom line is this: Everything is on the table. Day after day, week after week, more and more disclosures about Justice Thomas – we cannot ignore them,” Mr Durbin said.
Mr Durbin, as well as other Democrats, are serious about getting Justice Roberts to impose disclosure rules on the Court.
The Illinois Senator added: “The thing we’re going to do first, obviously, is to gather the evidence, the information that we need to draw our conclusions. I’m not ruling out anything.”
Mr Durbin’s commentary comes just one week after the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing regarding the matter.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments