For decades, Justice Clarence Thomas has secretly accepted luxury trips from a major Republican donor, newly obtained documents and interviews show.
The extent and frequency of these apparent gifts to Thomas has no known precedent in modern SCOTUS history... 🧵👇
2/ Thomas has publicly presented himself as an everyman with modest tastes.
In this documentary about the justice, he waxes nostalgic about his fondness for Walmart parking lots:
3/ But Thomas' friendship with Dallas-based real estate magnate Harlan Crow has allowed him to repeatedly experience luxuries well beyond his means.
He's vacationed on Crow’s 162-foot superyacht around the globe and flies on Crow’s Bombardier Global 5000 jet.
4/ In June 2019, Thomas boarded Crow's private jet to Indonesia for 9 days of island-hopping on Crow's yacht.
Had Thomas chartered the jet and yacht himself, it could have cost him over $500K.
5/ It wasn’t Thomas’ first time on Crow's yacht, the Michaela Rose. He went on a river day trip in Savannah, Georgia, and an extended cruise in New Zealand roughly a decade ago.
6/ While sailing around New Zealand with Crow, Thomas autographed a copy of his memoir as a gift for a crew member.
"Thank you so much for all your hard work on our New Zealand adventure," reads the inscription.
7/ The justice has gone with Crow to the Bohemian Grove, the exclusive California all-male retreat, and to Crow’s sprawling Texas ranch.
Every summer, Thomas typically spends about a week at Camp Topridge, Crow’s private resort in the Adirondacks.
8/ Inside Topridge hangs a photorealistic painting of one of Thomas' visits to the 105-acre property in remote upstate NY.
The painting shows Thomas enjoying a cigar alongside Crow and chatting with other conservative power brokers like Leonard Leo:
9/ If Leo's name sounds familiar, it's because the longtime Federalist Society executive is regarded as an architect of the Supreme Court’s recent turn to the right and recently received $1.6 billion for a new conservative political group:
propublica.org/article/dark-m…
10/ At Crow’s invitation-only resort, guests enjoy boathouses, a clay tennis court, batting cage, a replica of Hagrid's hut from Harry Potter, bronze statues of gnomes & milkshakes at a 1950s-style soda fountain.
For free.
Rooms at a nearby resort start at more than $2K/night.
11/ While Thomas and Crow have a genuine friendship, say sources familiar with the two men, these vacations often put the justice in contact with corporate execs and political activists.
propublica.org/article/claren…
12/ During just one July 2017 trip, Thomas’ fellow guests included execs at Verizon & PricewaterhouseCoopers, major GOP donors, and one of the leaders of the conservative American Enterprise Institute think tank, according to records reviewed by ProPublica.
13/ These trips appeared nowhere on Thomas’ financial disclosures, where justices are required to list most gifts.
We drew on flight records, internal documents & interviews with dozens of people ranging from yacht staff to a scuba instructor to uncover Thomas' travel details.
14/ His failure to report the flights appears to violate a federal disclosure law passed after Watergate, according to experts.
By accepting the trips, Thomas has broken long-standing norms for judges’ conduct, ethics experts and four current or retired federal judges said.
15/ “It’s incomprehensible to me that someone would do this,” said Nancy Gertner, a retired federal judge appointed by former President Bill Clinton.
propublica.org/article/claren…
16/ Virginia Canter, a former government ethics lawyer who served in administrations of both parties, said Thomas “seems to have completely disregarded his higher ethical obligations.”
17/ Thomas didn’t respond to detailed questions.
In a statement, Crow told ProPublica he never sought to influence the justice and the “hospitality” he’s given Thomas was “no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dear friends.”
18/ Read the full story from @js_kaplan @JustinElliott @Amierjeski here:
propublica.org/article/claren…
19/ And sign up for the Big Story newsletter to get all our major investigations as soon as they’re published:
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