Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has written a letter to the Department of Justice urging an investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Ocasio-Cortez, along with her group of progressive colleagues, sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, requesting an inquiry into Thomas’s connection with a Republican megadonor.
Despite liberals also having megadonors, AOC’s call doesn’t extend to investigating those.
Ocasio-Cortez’s letter urges the DOJ to initiate an inquiry into Thomas’s failure to report substantial gifts from Harlan Crow and other billionaires over almost two decades, in violation of federal law.
The letter states, “First, Justice Thomas has received numerous undisclosed valuable gifts from Harlan Crow over the course of at least fifteen years, despite certifying repeatedly that his financial disclosure forms are ‘accurate, true and complete,’ in certifications ‘subject to civil and criminal sanctions.’”
AOC’s letter referenced a ProPublica report that highlighted an incident in which Thomas reportedly omitted the financial “gifts” he received from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow.
The letter emphasized that judicial officers are required to disclose information related to personal matters, including finances, gifts, property interests, liabilities, transactions and reimbursements.
AOC posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, “No one is above the law. For two decades, Justice Thomas failed to report millions in gifts. Today, we asked DOJ to investigate Thomas for violating the Ethics of Government Act of 1978. We are joined by Ranking Members Nadler & Raskin and Judiciary Members Lieu & Hank Johnson.”
No one is above the law: not Members of Congress, not the President, and not Justice Clarence Thomas.
Today @AOC @RepJerryNadler @RepHankJohnson @RepRaskin and I requested the DOJ to investigate Justice Thomas’ alleged staggering violations of the Ethics of Government Act. https://t.co/3JuBHKjKQY
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) August 11, 2023
In April, Thomas strongly criticized the ProPublica report that outlined the connection between him and Crow. Thomas clarified that he and Crow had been friends for a significant period, and his interactions with the Republican megadonor were consistent with the guidelines set by the Supreme Court.
Thomas said, “Harlan and Kathy Crow are among our dearest friends, and we have been friends for over twenty-five years. As friends do, we have joined them on a number of family trips during the more than quarter-century we have known them.”
He continued, “Early in my tenure at the Court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable.”
