I know we have already done this about 20 times, but here's time #21. Or maybe 50 times, in which case this is #51, I don't know. But whatever:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/13/politics/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-private-plane-ethics-supreme-court/index.htmlJustice Clarence Thomas took several more trips on the private plane of GOP megadonor Harlan Crow than were previously known, a top Senate Democrat revealed Thursday.
According to information obtained by Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, Thomas traveled on Crow’s private jet during trips in 2017, 2019 and 2021 between various US states, as well as on a previously known 2019 trip to Indonesia, during which Thomas also stayed on Crow’s mega-yacht.
The newly revealed private plane trips add to the picture of luxury travel enjoyed by Thomas and bankrolled by friends of the justice who have ties to conservative politics.
Thomas has come under fire for his failure to include such trips on financial disclosure forms the justices release each year, though he and his defenders argue that he followed the court’s disclosure rules as they were understood at the time.
The revelation was likely to add to the tension between the high court, where conservatives hold a 6-3 majority, and Democrats on Capitol Hill, who have been pushing for more than a year for tighter ethics rules. A series of ethics scandals involving Thomas and, more recently, Justice Samuel Alito, have left public approval of the court at historic lows.
Perhaps at some point there will be an investigation to determine whether Mr. Thomas (or Harlan Crow or any associates) ran afoul of any anti-corruption statutes, similar to what Robert Menendez is currently on trial for and what Henry Cuellar has been indicted for. After all, while Judges do have certain immunity (for things like civil lawsuits related to their cases etc), they are no more above the law than Presidents are for unrelated crimes.
