In an email list of former Supreme Court clerks for Clarence Thomas, the justice’s wife, Ginni Thomas, reportedly made amends for her political posts related to the 2020 election.
The longtime conservative activist apologized to the group for messages, which included pro-Trump posts and support for the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the Jan. 6 siege of Congress, according to emails shared with the Washington Post by members of the mailing list.
“I owe you all an apology. I have likely imposed on you my lifetime passions,” Thomas said on Jan. 18. “My passions and beliefs are likely shared with the bulk of you, but certainly not all. And sometimes the smallest matters can divide loved ones for too long. Let’s pledge to not let politics divide THIS family, and learn to speak more gently and knowingly across the divide.”
In one email following the election, the date of which is unclear, Thomas said, “Many of us are hurting, after leaving it all on the field, to preserve the best of this country.” She added: “I feel I have failed my parents who did their best and taught me to work to preserve liberties.”
On the day of the storming of the U.S. Capitol, which led to five deaths, Thomas endorsed a nearby rally attended by former President Donald Trump to protest the affirmation of President Biden’s 2020 victory, with posts such as, “LOVE MAGA people!!!!” and “GOD BLESS EACH OF YOU STANDING UP or PRAYING.” Days later, as reported by Slate, Thomas amended a post expressing her “LOVE” of the demonstrators by adding: “[Note: written before violence in US Capitol].”
The rift within the email group, which is more commonly a source for baby announcements and congratulations on work promotions, appeared to widen in the days after the Capitol riot.
When one member shared an article from Christianity Today on how religious symbols were appropriated by rioters who invaded the Capitol, former clerk Wendy Stone Long called the piece “offensive drivel.”
“Many of my friends and I had been praying our knees off that January 6 would see light and truth being shed on what we believe in our hearts was likely a stolen election,” she wrote. “Many of us marched peacefully and yes, many also prayed and shared another important message, ‘Jesus saves.'”
Trump was impeached by the House on a single article of incitement of insurrection after he spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C., and urged his followers to march on the U.S. Capitol, where lawmakers were counting electoral votes to affirm Biden’s victory. The legal team representing Trump, who faces a Senate trial next week, argues the process is unconstitutional.
John Eastman, a lawyer who spoke at the rally and filed lawsuits alleging election fraud, said, “Rest assured that those of us involved in this are working diligently to ascertain the truth.”
Stephen Smith, a professor at Notre Dame, responded, “If by ‘truth’ you mean what actually happened, as opposed to a false narrative, then I agree.” He added: “I hope (and trust) that you — and everyone on this list — agree that the search for truth doesn’t in any way justify insurrection, trying to kidnap and assassinate elected officials, attacking police officers, or making common cause with racists and anti-Semites bent on wanton violence and lawlessness.”
Justice Thomas is said not to be actively involved in the conversations, and the clerk who provided the emails told the Washington Post: “Ginni does not speak for CT.”
