Clarence Thomas’ Latest Pay-to-Play Scandal Finally Connects All the Dots

ProPublica released a new report on Friday detailing Justice Clarence Thomas’ close relationship with the Koch brothers with previously undisclosed and extraordinarily damning new details.

According to ProPublica, the justice developed a friendship with the Kochs as they were funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into right-wing causes, many of which ended up before the Supreme Court. The brothers then used Thomas to raise money for their sprawling network, inviting him to speak at “donor events” that brought in millions of dollars.

He disclosed none of these activities on his annual disclosure forms, an obvious violation of federal ethics law.

darq,
darq avatar

Of course, none of this actually matters in the slightest unless those ethics violations have consequences.

matchphoenix,

At minimum, it’s time to investigate Clarence Thomas. When the Democrats retake the house (hopefully in 2024 after the Republicans shutdown the government over nothing), they need to begin impeachment hearings in the House. I don’t care if the Senate will never remove him.

wagesj45,
wagesj45 avatar

That's right. You don't skip your responsibilities because you think another link down the chain won't fulfill their duties. You do your job and make whoever skips out on their responsibility to put their name to it. Doesn't matter if nothing practical comes of it. Integrity and faith in "the system" demands no less.

TheSaneWriter,
@TheSaneWriter@lemmy.thesanewriter.com avatar

Fully agreed. If you still believe the system can work, you must fulfill your role in it. If you don’t believe the system can work, then it’s time for the system to be fixed or replaced.

HurlingDurling,

I feel like every case justice thomas was a part off and had a vote on the winning rule should be thrown out.

TheSaneWriter,
@TheSaneWriter@lemmy.thesanewriter.com avatar

Clarence Thomas is clearly not just a threat to the integrity of the court but to the entire United States. If we are going to have a functional democracy, he needs to be removed from office and imprisoned.

Illuminostro,

Does a wild bear shit in the woods? Of course he worked for the Kochs. Doesn’t everyone already know this?

Burn_The_Right,

We shouldn’t be talking about impeachment at this point. We should be talking about prison. Injustice Thomas needs to go to prison.

Chocrates,

The problem is I doubt anything he is doing is illegal. If it is though that is a much more realistic option than impeachment

PeleSpirit,

It’s a job and they’re violating the terms of their job, of course it’s illegal. They might just do more cheat/illegal things to get around it. Also, what the Kochs were doing is highly illegal. www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/201

treefrog,

This needs more attention. Far easier to go after the people doing the bribing and if we do, it will get a lot of money out of politics.

And thus make it easier to hold people like Clarence accountable.

PeleSpirit,

We should be going after both but the GOP has just enough power to stop it. The country is on the line still, I hope we don’t fuck it up again.

treefrog,

For sure we should.

But the bribers don’t have to be impeached and can be charged directly.

If we can hold Trump accountable, we can hold the Koch family accountable too.

Illuminostro,

“But muh Furst Amindmint rites to do wut I want.”

Viking_Hippie, (edited )

First impeachment, then a criminal trial ending in significant prison time.

Edit: scratch that. Caging humans doesn’t decrease crime or otherwise benefit society. Give him several years of community service and permanently take away his licence to practice law in any way, shape or form.

Gamey,

Im not an American but if people I know are put in a cage for fucking Weed I certainly want shitbags like him to go there too, it may not be helpful but certainly what he deserves!

Boddhisatva,

No. Let him keep the license but only so he can serve as a public defender in New Your City as part of a 10 year term of community service working 40 hours per week with one week of vacation per year. Then reduce the sentence for one day for each successfully defended case.

Viking_Hippie,

Ooh, I like that!

humancrayon,
@humancrayon@sh.itjust.works avatar

Only 40 hours per week? Can’t let him off with an unrealistic work week. 50+ hours or bust.

Viking_Hippie,

Can’t just make exceptions to worker’s rights for specific people, no matter how heinous. That would set an ugly precedent and also make us hypocrites.

some_guy,

You’re right about incarceration. But there needs to be a further penalty. Monetary. Make him pay back all the dirty money. And maybe make him clean up dog shit for the community service.

Viking_Hippie, (edited )

Agreed 💯

yournamehere,

murica is winning and winning and winning.

fullstopslash,

So does this mean we get a redo on all the laws he influenced? Since like, clearly he was cheating the whole time and has made unjust decisions?

psycho_driver,

Nah it just means he keeps on keeping on with the debauchery until he keels over sometime in the next ten years.

Illuminostro,

Monerica!

just_change_it,

It literally doesn’t matter. The republicans don’t care and they’ve gerrymandered control away from the democrats so it can’t change.

Even if democrats had control it would just be more of the same bullshit with some sugar coated feel good nonsense that still funnels wealth to the real owners of the country while appearing to make a difference.

What do you do with the democratic process when the same people control the judges, the legislative branch, and the executive branch? The answer is nothing. You just continue on getting f’d like the cows we all are.

This is not a nation of the people, it’s a nation of the owners.

AfricanExpansionist,

1492 Project

krolden,
@krolden@lemmy.ml avatar

https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/09baa557-ea39-4b7f-b12b-2d48983c927e.jpeg

Vodik_VDK,

What do you do with the democratic process

There’s more than one way to run a democracy, and more than one way to tally votes; it just so happens that the way we’re currently doing it —First Past The Post Voting— is utter shit; it’s the lynchpin of the two party system and systemic corruption.

If we commit grassroots focus to electoral reforms in favor of Ranked Choice Voting then all these insidious actors will find power to be much more slippery.

just_change_it,

I want this but I don’t see any way of it happening in current republican controlled states. Seems really difficult in democrat ones too.

sailingbythelee,

I love the USA, but I’m surprised at how passive the average American has become. Thomas is actively making your lives worse in exchange for bribes. Where are the mass protests? SCOTUS will do nothing about it, and neither will Congress, if you don’t protest.

Vodik_VDK,

Don’t be surprised.

Everyone here is either indoctrinated enough to be here for it, powerful enough to be above it, or disassociated enough to endure it.

It’s just what happens after 22 years of social shock doctrine (I made that term up. I will not elaborate. Ama closed).

sailingbythelee,

Naomi Klein beat you to it by about 15 years.

Vodik_VDK,

(You got the reference.)

TwoGems,
@TwoGems@lemmy.world avatar

Half our population is insane actually

figaro,

This sounds like a joke but it actually isn’t.

About 30% are openly in some kind of weird suicide pact, and the other 20% will vote for the same people as them, just while furrowing their eyebrows sometimes

sturmblast,

*of voters

Pappabosley,

This is why the police force in America is equipped like an army, to quickly and violently suppress any protests. Then when you have a prison stay on your record, no more voting, struggling to get a job or even survive.

krolden,
@krolden@lemmy.ml avatar

Where were they on jan6?

TruTollTroll,
@TruTollTroll@lemmy.world avatar

In the crowd…

AngryCommieKender,

Title 18 section 1507 makes it illegal to protest outside a judges home, and they have indicated they will use the same law to prevent protests outside the court.

MedicPigBabySaver,

This POS assaulted Anita Hill and never should’ve been affirmed.

HitlerCunnyRape,

Lmao have any proof this time, or is it the same baseless slander as before?

FlyingSquid,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah, we don’t need to hear how awesome rape is from @HitlerCunnyRape.

treefrog,

Nice catch.

krolden,
@krolden@lemmy.ml avatar

And biden called her a liar

MedicPigBabySaver,

He’s a donkey. At least he’s not a traitorous criminal against the countries democracy.

30mag,

Thomas never reported the 2018 flight to Palm Springs on his annual financial disclosure form, an apparent violation of federal law requiring justices to report most gifts. A Koch network spokesperson said the network did not pay for the private jet. Since Thomas didn’t disclose it, it’s not clear who did pay.

I don’t know how this works, so this is probably a stupid question, but how do you rule out the possibility that Thomas paid for the flight?

PeleSpirit,

Technically, neither one probably paid for it, it was a private jet that they probably own. It’s a gift no matter what and should have been disclosed, he’s unethical but also doing stuff that’s illegal in most government jobs. I think people are forgetting that SCOTUS is a job that the American people hired through the president. Half the court should be fired.

30mag,

Technically, neither one probably paid for it, it was a private jet that they probably own.

I hadn’t considered that.

It’s a gift no matter what

If he had chartered a plane and paid for the flight, it wouldn’t have been a gift, right?

PeleSpirit,

where donors are promised that if they pay a bunch of money—hundreds of thousands of dollars—they will be able to attend this super exclusive event where Clarence Thomas speaks. And these events include luxury travel on private jets for Thomas.

I see what you’re saying, but this was a weird transaction and how much was he paid to speak at these things? What were they buying? The luxury travel is the least of it.

30mag,

Ok, thanks

gamer,

but how do you rule out the possibility that Thomas paid for the flight?

Good point, and I don’t have an answer. However, I think it’d be interesting to see how often he travels in a private jet. Maybe he’s a high roller who jets all the time? Or maybe he decided to treat himself this one time?

30mag,

I don’t know the first thing about analyzing finances.

krolden,
@krolden@lemmy.ml avatar

An expense that big would be written off somehow on his taxes

30mag,

Are his taxes available to the public?

spaceghoti,

You look at his financial statements. If there’s no record of him paying for the flight then it was necessarily paid by someone else. Propublica wouldn’t necessarily have access to those statements, but an IRS audit would. Assuming Congress would have the balls to look into it.

So we don’t know right now, but given the corruption that has already been uncovered, I think there’s ample justification for a Congressional inquiry once Democrats take back the House.

30mag,

You look at his financial statements. If there’s no record of him paying for the flight then it was necessarily paid by someone else. Propublica wouldn’t necessarily have access to those statements, but an IRS audit would.

Thanks.

krolden,
@krolden@lemmy.ml avatar

Taxes of elected officials should be made public as soon as they’re sworn in

jordanlund,

We need to look forward to 2024, take back the House and get a 60 vote majority in the Senate, along with the White House…maybe then, things will change.

bogo,

I don’t see any scenario where Democrats take 60 seats in the Senate. The states have polarized so much, and the system favors the Republican states too much.

jordanlund,

Unlike the House, Senate races are state wide and can’t be gerrymandered.

It’s going to take a major effort focused on reforming the Supreme Court to flip those seats, but looking at 2020, we flipped BOTH seats in Georgia which is about as red as it gets.

dragonflyteaparty,

That’s true. We just have to work on getting through the disenfranchisment.

jordanlund,

Yup. I, personally, want 100% vote by mail. We’ve been doing it in my state since 2000, it’s safe, effective, results in high turnout and engagement, really nothing to hate.

Oh, except Republicans lose when more people vote. ;)

bogo,

The existing boundaries of the states is their built-in gerrymander. One voters opinion in Wyoming counts 50 times a Californian.

krolden,
@krolden@lemmy.ml avatar

That didn’t work the last time why would it work this time?

jordanlund,

Roe got overturned, changes the formula.

Cryophilia,

Because we didn’t do it last time.

themeatbridge,

So before, we could only assume from the preponderance of evidence that Thomas is corrupt as shit. Now we know it for a fact. And still, nothing will change because the Koch brothers own more than some SCOTUS justices. They also own most of congress.

End legalized bribery now.

psycho_driver,

And still, nothing will change because the Koch brothers own more than some SCOTUS justices.

It’s just the Koch brother now. Happily one of the wretched fucks died a few years ago.

assassin_aragorn,

If I recall right there’s 3 brothers. Two were right wing scumbags, but I think the third wanted absolutely nothing to do with any of it

spider,

And still, nothing will change because the Koch brothers own more than some SCOTUS justices. They also own most of congress.

See: George Carlin - The Big Club (NSFW)

ChonkyOwlbear,

Let’s end the Koch family fortune while we are at it.

xenoclast,

Pretty sure you’d have to end the Koch family to do that. I wouldn’t stop you.

treefrog,

It’s actually not legal to bribe a government official and charging the Kochs and others would be an excellent start (since going after a SC Justice is apparently difficult)

PeleSpirit,

Have you got a source for that? Because that is absolutely not true.

treefrog,

the link you shared further up the thread was the first place I heard it

www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/201

Did I misunderstand?

PeleSpirit,

No, my bad and I was wrong. I misunderstood you. You’re right.

DragonAce,

It’s actually not legal to bribe a government official

Well of course not, thats why they’re not called “bribes”, they’re called “campaign donations”.

stringere,

Are they campaign donations for the next time Thomas has to run for his lifetime appointed office?

assassin_aragorn,

Problem is the people who are taking the bribery also get to determine the legality of it. SCOTUS could say that bribing a justice is totally legal and the only recourse would be a new amendment. Even then, I’m not sure what would stop them from ignoring the new amendment in their rulings.

The problem with the court granting itself judicial review was that it didn’t come with checks and balances like the rest of the government functions.

tryptaminev,

Banana republic

gamer,

I’ve seen this term thrown around on Lemmy in different contexts, so I looked it up and the wikipedia page gives a very specific definition of that term relating to a type of economic situation. I don’t think that particular definition applies in this case, or does it?

jordanlund,

It’s less the economic definition than it is this:

www.dictionary.com/browse/banana-republic

noun - Usually Disparaging.

  1. a small, poor country, often reliant on a single export or limited resource, governed by an authoritarian regime and characterized by corruption and economic exploitation by foreign corporations conspiring with local government officials.
  2. any exploitative government that functions poorly for its citizenry while disproportionately benefiting a corrupt elite group or individual.
transmatrix,

Oligarchy

Viking_Hippie,

Kakistocracy

pottedmeat7910,

He and is going to take every dime they can hustle and sign off on any “Supreme Court decision” that Koch’s lawyers hand to him.

And he’s not even going to pretend to feel bad about it because there’s not a god-danged anyone is going to do to stop it. He’s a whore, bought and paid for.

Holyhandgrenade,
@Holyhandgrenade@lemmy.world avatar

That’s a bit offensive to whores. They only sell their bodies, he’s selling democracy.

AlwaysNowNeverNotMe,
AlwaysNowNeverNotMe avatar

He's selling the body politic.

imPastaSyndrome,

Right so he’s more of a pimp

LegionEris,

I practice this like a sport, met Donald Trump and he froze up

Standing on his Bentley yelling, “Pimps down, hoes up”

~The Coup

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