Senate committee drops inquiry into Harlan Crow after additional Thomas trips revealed
By
Kaelan Deese
June 13, 2024 6:03 pm
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The Senate Judiciary Committee dropped its investigation into businessman Harlan Crow on Thursday after he revealed Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas took three additional undisclosed trips that were not included in his revised financial disclosures.
The office of Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Judiciary chairman, said it obtained documents revealing previously undisclosed trips Thomas took from a subpoena to Texas-based real estate magnate Crow in November as part of an ethics investigation into the Supreme Court. Crow, who is a longtime friend of Thomas and also a GOP donor, struck a deal to give the committee seven years of information in exchange for the panel dropping its investigation into him.
“As a result of our investigation and subpoena authorization, we are providing the American public greater clarity on the extent of ethical lapses by Supreme Court justices and the need for ethics reform,” Durbin said in a statement.
The records revealed Thomas, who was nominated by George H.W. Bush in 1991, took private flights in 2017, 2019, and 2021 on a private jet with Crow, which he did not report in his financial disclosures.
In April 2023, the nonprofit organization outlet ProPublica, which is funded in part by various organizations that donate to watchdogs that have targeted Thomas, released several reports that applied a critical lens to lavish gifts Thomas had received from the GOP megadonor. However, the reports never alleged that Thomas broke his oath to remain impartial about any cases he was deciding on in the high court.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/3044446/senate-committee-drops-probe-harlan-crow/
