U.S. Supreme Court justices have collectively raked in millions of dollars in gifts over the last 20 years, with Justice Clarence Thomas being the runaway leader in the category.
A watchdog group called Fix the Court compiled a report based on media reports, the Congressional Record, and annual disclosures by the justices. It found that since 2004, justices have accepted 344 gifts valued at $3 million. Thomas himself received gifts totaling $2.4 million. If “likely” gifts are included, Thomas’ haul rises to $4 million.
The justice was thrust into the news last year after ProPublica published a bombshell report about billionaire and Republican megadonor Harlan Crow acting as a benefactor of Thomas for more than two decades, taking the justice and his wife on luxurious vacations around the globe. Thomas did not disclose the gifts.
On Friday’s CNN NewsNight, Abby Phillip addressed the gifts controversy with Justice Correspondent Elie Mystal of The Nation, and attorney Tim Parlatore, who previously served as former President Donald Trump’s lawyer.
“So once again, we caught Clarence Thomas in a lie because when these allegations, when these gifts first came out, were first reported by ProPublica, Thomas said that he was not required to report them on its disclosure form,” Mystal said. “Now, he’s saying not reporting them was an inadvertent omission. Well, which one is it, Clarence?”
Mystal went on to say that the answer is immaterial “because there will be no punishment.”
“The important thing to remember is that Congress refuses to do anything to stop these people,” he added. “Congress will not pass ethics legislation. I do not know why Republicans in Congress oppose minimal basic ethics requirements for the Supreme Court. But they do. And so we don’t have them. And so nothing, squadoosh is the number that is going to happen in terms of consequences for Clarence Thomas’s corruption and lies.”
Phillip responded by noting that ethics standards imposed on congressional staffers, who are far less powerful than Supreme Court justices.
“Members of Congress’ staffers, Tim, are subject to more stringent ethical requirements apparently than the Supreme Court of the United States,” Phillip said. “How could that be? And to Elie’s point, I mean, is this not now crying out for Congress to act if they really care at all about preserving even just the appearance of impartiality of the court?”
Parlatore responded by saying Congress should take action:
“I agree with Elie completely on this,” he said. “I’ve represented several senior executive branch officials with investigations from the Office of Government Ethics. Military officers are only allowed to accept gifts up to $20. NYPD cops, they get written up if they take a free cup of coffee. You know, there are rules in place for federal judges that limit the gift that they can get at $50. But it specifically exempts the Supreme Court.”
Parlatore went on to say that taking such large gifts as Thomas has done creates “an appearance of impropriety.”
“Any type of thing where they’re taking these large gifts – it’s an appearance of impropriety,” he continued. “It’s something that does, in my opinion, it degrades the image of impartiality and I think, I agree with Elie, this is something that the Congress should act and try and put in some reasonable regulations.”
Watch above via CNN.
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