Senator Ron Wyden, who leads the Senate Finance Committee, has requested a complete list of gifts given to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas by Harlan Crow, a wealthy GOP megadonor. He also asked for evidence that Crow complied with federal tax law regarding the gifts. The request comes after ProPublica reported that Crow Holdings CEO had treated Thomas and his wife Ginni to luxurious trips worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Crow also purchased three properties in Savannah, Georgia, from Thomas and his family, including a home where the justice’s mother has lived rent-free for more than a decade. Thomas had not disclosed any of the gifts from Crow or the property purchases until they were revealed by ProPublica.
In his letter, Wyden criticized the secrecy around Crow’s dealings with Thomas and said that the American public deserves a full accounting of the extent of Crow’s largesse towards the justice. Wyden requested a list of all flights that Thomas took on any of Crow’s jets, as well as details of those trips. He also asked for similar details about the justice’s trips on the superyacht Michaela Rose and information about the Georgia property purchases.
Wyden’s letter noted that federal tax law requires the giver of a gift to pay any applicable tax. He asked for evidence related to the possibility of gift taxes being owed by the business and whether claimed business deductions or depreciation for Crow’s plane and yacht related to the trips by Thomas.
Chief Justice John Roberts Invited to Testify About Ethics Reform
Senator Dick Durbin, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, invited Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to testify about ethics reform of the high court. In his letter, Durbin noted that there has been a steady stream of revelations regarding justices falling short of ethical standards expected of other federal judges. Roberts has yet to reply to that invitation, Durbin noted over the weekend.
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