US Justice Thomas took undisclosed trips funded by billionaire
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US Supreme Justice Clarence Thomas has apparently left more "donations" made by billionaires undisclosed following a slew of gifts and favors they only disclosed in 2023.
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Associate Justice Clarence Thomas poses for a photo at the Supreme Court building in Washington, October 7, 2022. (AP)
US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is under renewed scrutiny after it was revealed that he took additional undisclosed travel funded by GOP billionaire benefactor Harlan Crow.
The Democratic chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Ron Wyden, disclosed on Monday that Thomas and his wife had traveled round-trip between Hawaii and New Zealand aboard Crow's private jet in November 2010, a trip the conservative justice did not disclose.
The revelation is based on international flight records obtained by Wyden's committee. This adds to the mounting criticism Thomas has faced since last year from congressional Democrats and others for failing to disclose gifts from Crow, including trips on a yacht and other luxury accommodations.
Previously, Thomas defended his omission of such trips from his disclosure forms by claiming they fell under "personal hospitality," which he believed were exempt from disclosure requirements. He also described the nondisclosure of a real estate transaction involving Crow as inadvertent.
Senator Wyden highlighted these international flight records, maintained by the US Customs and Border Protection agency, in an eight-page letter to Crow's attorney seeking more information on the relationship between Crow and Thomas as the Senate Finance Committee investigates the tax treatment of Crow's superyacht and private aircraft used by Thomas.
Thomas took many trips funded by Crow left undisclosed
The scrutiny began last year after ProPublica reported on Thomas's failure to disclose luxury trips and real estate transactions involving Crow. Wyden noted that neither Crow nor Thomas had disclosed the full extent of the justice's use of Crow's yacht, Michaela Rose, and private jets, despite Congress uncovering additional instances of undisclosed international travel.
"Mr. Crow and his businesses are in good standing with the IRS. He has always followed applicable tax law as advised by national accounting firms who serve as his tax advisors," a spokesperson for Crow said.
This issue was further underscored in June by Democrat Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who stated that Thomas took at least three other trips funded by Crow that were also not disclosed.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson labeled the investigation and inquiries as a "politically motivated" campaign against the Supreme Court.
Corruption in the Supreme Court
In their 2023 annual financial disclosure forms, US Supreme Court justices revealed a range of gifts and substantial earnings, including luxurious accommodations and significant book deals they got their hands on simply due to their senior positions.
Conservative Justice Thomas reported revising his 2019 financial form to include previously undisclosed "food and lodging" received at a Bali hotel and a California club. Thomas has faced scrutiny for not reporting gifts from businessman and Republican donor Harlan Crow in the past.
The justices' financial disclosures came after they adopted in November their first code of conduct, which was criticized as insufficient when it comes to promoting transparency, as ultimately, the judges themselves get to decide whether they are recused from cases with no overhead authority or enforcement mechanism.
