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Democratic U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called for the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and an investigation into his advisors following a media report that revealed he had taken luxury trips over decades funded by a Republican donor.
In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez argued that it was the House’s responsibility to investigate the matter through impeachment. However, she acknowledged that such a move was unlikely to make progress, given that the Republican majority in the House would not want to take action against a conservative justice.
ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom investigating abuses of power, reported on Thursday that Thomas had accepted expensive trips from Harlan Crow, a Republican donor and real estate magnate, over several decades. This is despite federal law requiring disclosure of most gifts.
The report revealed that the timeline of Thomas’s relationship with Crow raised questions of conflict of interest, as it began after Thomas began serving on the Supreme Court in 1991. Ocasio-Cortez argued that the investigation should focus on Thomas’s advisors, who may have encouraged or enabled the relationship to continue without disclosure.
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In a statement released on Friday, Thomas defended the trips, saying he had been advised that he was not required to report “personal hospitality” of this kind. He also said that he had always sought to comply with disclosure guidelines and would follow new rules brought in by the Judicial Conference responsible for financial disclosure requirements for the entire federal judiciary.
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Crow denied seeking to influence Thomas on any legal or political issue, telling ProPublica that the trips were personal.
The controversy surrounding Thomas’s relationship with Crow is the latest in a series of questions about the Supreme Court and the role of money in politics. In recent years, conservative groups have poured millions of dollars into judicial campaigns, leading to concerns that corporate interests may sway the courts.
Critics argue that Thomas’s acceptance of trips from a Republican donor raises questions about his impartiality and ability to make impartial judgments on cases that may affect Crow’s interests.
However, defenders of Thomas argue that he has always been a principled judge and that the trips did not influence his decisions on the bench.
Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, the controversy surrounding Thomas is likely to fuel ongoing debates about the role of money in politics and the need for greater transparency and accountability in government. As the Supreme Court continues to make crucial decisions on voting rights, healthcare, and environmental protection, a fair and impartial judiciary is more important than ever.
