Justice Clarence Thomas’s involvement in an exclusive club has now come under scrutiny following multiple reports attempting to call into question ethical concerns surrounding some of the justices.
Months after securing his seat on the Supreme Court in highly contentious confirmation hearings, Thomas joined the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, named after the Gilded Age author.
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Thomas’s connections through the club allegedly allowed him and his wife, Virginia Thomas, to join on vacation retreats, VIP access to sporting events, and other lavish events, the New York Times reported on Sunday. One other member of the club, David Sokol, the onetime heir apparent to Warren Buffett, described the Thomases as “close personal friends” in 2015 and have hosted them at their Montana ranch and waterfront mansion in Florida.
Clarence Thomas also allegedly received benefits from other Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans members, some of whom are major donors to conservative causes with broad policy and political interests in Supreme Court decisions, even if not directly involved in the cases. There is no suggestion Clarence Thomas has done anything wrong in the report, but it is yet another story calling into question perceived ethics violations.
Both he and Republicans have alleged he is a victim of a smear campaign targeting conservative justices.
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ProPublica previously reported that Clarence Thomas took several trips with a billionaire GOP donor and friend Harlan Crow that were undisclosed, while fellow Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito allegedly took an expensive trip with a different friend, Paul Singer, to an Alaskan fishing lodge in 2008. ProPublica also revealed undisclosed real estate transactions among the Thomases and Crow, who paid the tuition for one of Clarence Thomas’s relatives.
Both justices have defended the friendships and trips, but Democrats have attacked the apparent conflicts of interest.
