Justice Clarence Thomas faces scrutiny for gifts and expenses paid by Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow.
In the financial disclosure filed this week, Thomas acknowledged he took three trips last year on Crow’s private plane and that Crow paid for a trip to the Adirondacks in New York state in 2022.
Justice Thomas’s legal team maintains that any past oversight of these gifts was unintentional, but these disclosures have angered Supreme Court critics.
“How is it possible that we do not have a code of ethics that is binding upon the highest court of the land?” said Norm Eisen, former Obama White House ethics czar.
Thomas offered reasons for some gifts, citing unexpected events like an ice storm and security concerns tied to abortion rights cases. He also noted advice he received that not everything needed to be reported.
