Clarence Thomas took other undisclosed trips that Harlan Crow paid for, Senate committee says
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was gifted additional undisclosed trips by a GOP megadonor that were not included in his financial disclosure forms, according to documents released Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who chairs the Judiciary panel, released records on gifts of private jet travel provided by the conservative justice’s billionaire friend, Harlan Crow, that included plane trips in 2017, 2019 and 2021.
âAs a result of our investigation and subpoena authorization, we are providing the American public greater clarity on the extent of ethical lapses by Supreme Court justices and the need for ethics reform,” Durbin said in a statement.
The documents were released a day after Republicans blocked Democratsâ attempt to pass Supreme Court ethics legislation that the panel advanced nearly a year ago.
In a statement Thursday, Crowâs office said that he had reached an agreement with the Judiciary Committee to provide information dating back seven years.
âDespite his serious and continued concerns about the legality and necessity of the inquiry, Mr. Crow engaged in good faith with the Committee,â Crowâs office said. âAs a condition of this agreement, the Committee agreed to end its probe with respect to Mr. Crow.â
A spokesperson for Durbin told NBC News in a statement that the committee “reached an agreement with Mr. Crow for information and materials that was sufficient for compliance with the Committeeâs request and subpoena authorization.”
An attorney for Thomas defended the justice’s disclosure practices.
âThe information that Harlan Crow provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee fell under the ‘personal hospitality exemption’ and was not required to be disclosed by Justice Thomas,” attorney Elliot S. Berke said in a statement Thursday, adding that the Judicial Conference â the administrative office of the U.S. courts â “changed this provision last year, and Justice Thomas has fully complied with the new disclosure requirement.”
Thomas last week acknowledged a pair of trips in 2019 with Crow in his annual financial disclosure report, which correspond to trips ProPublica reported on last year.
The response from Berke echoed Thomasâ statement last year which referred to the undisclosed travel as âpersonal hospitality from close personal friends,â not business.
Democrats on the Judiciary Committee on Thursday cited a statute detailing financial disclosure requirements for federal personnel, which states, âfood, lodging, or entertainment received as personal hospitality of an individual need not be reported,” while contending that the law requires the disclosure of gifted travel. They said they planned to release a report on their probe of Supreme Court ethics this summer.
A Supreme Court spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday on the travel records released by the Senate Judiciary Committee.