The fact that I know more about Hunter Biden’s private parts than I do about the numerous crimes committed by Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas and their wives shows exactly what is terribly wrong with today’s political mainstream media.
Justice Clarence Thomas calls criticism of him ‘nastiness’ & ‘lies’
After facing harsh questions about his judicial decisions & accepting lavish gifts from a billionaire, #SCOTUS Justice #ClarenceThomas forcefully pushed back on
his critics Fri — saying he & his wife, #GinniThomas, have endured “nastiness” & “lies.”
#ClarenceThomas targeted the maelstrom he has faced …since news broke last year of travel & real estate deals paid for by #Republican donor #HarlanCrow, & since he has faced calls to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election because of his wife’s involvement w/efforts to block Joe #Biden’s victory.
“What you are going to find, especially in Washington, is that people are going to pride themselves on being awful … It’s a hideous place.”
"Friends of the Court," ProPublica's investigation into Supreme Court justices' beneficial relationships with billionaire donors, has been awarded the #Pulitzer Prize for Public Service!
Here are the highlights from the reporting (THREAD)
ProPublica team wins 2024 Selden Ring Award for ‘Friends of the Court’
...
The reporters ultimately exposed the most serious ethical scandal in the modern history of the U.S. Supreme Court, revealing lavish travel and financial support that wealthy businessmen provided to the court’s current longest-serving justice.
#Senate Investigation “Casts Fresh Doubt” About the Validity of Harlan Crow’s Yacht Tax Deductions
In their extensive probe, Senate investigators found evidence to suggest that billionaire GOP megadonor Crow has made repeated misrepresentations to the U.S. government.
ProPublica revealed the #tax maneuvers in a previous story.
"The rich, as we’ve reported, often deduct millions of dollars from their #taxes related to buying & operating their jets & yachts... Despite Crow's representations to the #IRS... no evidence that his yacht company was actually a profit-seeking business, as the law requires.
“Based on what information is available, this has the look of a textbook billionaire #TaxScam,” said Senate Finance Committee chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore."
“In early January 2000, #SCOTUS Justice #ClarenceThomas was at a five-star beach resort in Sea Island, Georgia, hundreds of thousands of dollars in #debt.
“After almost a decade on the court, Thomas had grown frustrated w/his financial situation, according to friends. He had recently started raising his young grandnephew, & Thomas’ wife was soliciting advice on how to handle the new expenses. The month before, the justice had borrowed $267k from a friend (#HarlanCrow) to buy a high-end RV.
“Some defrayed living expenses large & small — private school tuition, vehicle batteries, tires. Other gifts from a coterie of ultrarich men supplemented #ClarenceThomas’ lifestyle, such as free international vacations on the private jet & superyacht of Dallas real estate billionaire #HarlanCrow.
“Precisely what led so many people to offer Thomas money & other gifts remains an open question.”
Clarence Thomas’ Private Complaints About #Money Sparked Fears He Would Resign
Interviews and newly unearthed documents reveal that #ClarenceThomas, facing financial strain, privately pushed for a higher salary and to allow #SupremeCourt justices to take speaking fees.
#Senate Committee Authorizes Subpoenas of Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo as Part of #SupremeCourt Ethics Probe
The subpoenas ask for details on gifts, travel and other perks the two men provided or helped arrange for Supreme Court justices and their relatives, but Senate #Democrats will need help from their #GOP colleagues if Crow and Leo defy the subpoenas.
In April, Propublica's by Joshua Kaplan, @justinelliott and #AlexMierjeski dropped a bombshell: #SupremeCourt Justice #ClarenceThomas had been showered in high-ticket "gifts" by billionaire ideologue #HarlanCrow, who subsequently benefited from Thomas's rulings in the court:
If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
In a Historic First, the Supreme Court Has Adopted a Code of Ethics
The code, which does not include any enforcement mechanism, comes after ProPublica and other outlets revealed that justices had repeatedly failed to disclose gifts and travel from wealthy donors.
"Justice #ClarenceThomas & his wife... have long been surrounded by a tight network of friends and #patrons, most of them staunch #conservatives. Over the past 6 months, reporting... has revealed the extent to which that network has provided the Thomases w/gifts, favors & employment — many of which the justice never publicly disclosed.