A group of House Democrats on Tuesday called for an independent investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, in the wake of reports about luxury gifts he received from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow.
Eighteen House Democrats, led by Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), urged Chief Justice John Roberts to establish an independent investigative body to probe alleged ethical lapses of the justices, specifically calling for a “substantial” investigation into Thomas.
They also recommended that the high court create an ethics counsel to advise justices about issues like disclosure requirements and recusal.
“It has become abundantly clear to us that the current internal mechanism employed by the Court is not sufficient to prevent either the real, or appearance of, impropriety of its members or to hold to account justices who break ethics rules,” the congressmen said in Tuesday’s letter.
Thomas has faced public scrutiny in recent months after reports emerged about undisclosed luxury vacations the justice received from Crow. The GOP megadonor also reportedly paid for the private school tuition of Thomas’s great-nephew and purchased several properties owned by Thomas and his family.
More recently, Justice Samuel Alito came under fire for accepting a fishing trip from billionaire hedge fund owner and GOP donor Paul Singer, whose hedge fund later had business before the court.
“Despite the Court’s decision not to conduct a proper investigation into allegations of misconduct by Justices Thomas and Alito, we know that you possess the ability to do such an investigation when you desire,” the letter said.
The group of House Democrats pointed to the Supreme Court’s quick action in the wake of the leaked opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization last May.
“We agree that the Dobbs leak was a serious matter that jeopardized the legitimacy of the Supreme Court and merited investigation,” the congressmen said. “But the allegations against Justices Thomas and Alito similarly pose grave threats to the legitimacy of the Court.”