Clarence Thomas took more undisclosed private flights from GOP donor: Democratic senator

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose additional private flights from a GOP donor, according to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR). 

On Monday, Wyden said Republican donor Harlan Crow gave Thomas and his wife a round trip between Hawaii and New Zealand in November 2010. Wyden also voiced concern over trips Thomas took with Crow to Greece, Russia, and the Baltics, which were not noted on the justice’s financial disclosure forms.

In a letter to Crow’s lawyer, the powerful Senate Democrat wrote that “To date, Justice Thomas has never disclosed this private jet travel on any financial disclosure forms, even though Justice Thomas has amended disclosures to reflect other international travel on Mr. Crow’s private jet.”

Wyden continued, “I am deeply concerned that Mr. Crow may have been showering a public official with extravagant gifts, then writing off those gifts to lower his tax bill.”

The latest report comes after Thomas had initially come under fire last year for not reporting trips and “gifts” from Crow and other conservative donors. 

Following the backlash in 2023, Thomas released a statement saying he was not aware he had to report the personal gifts and promised to comply with new guidelines adopted by the Judicial Conference of the United States, the policymaking body for the federal courts.

“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,” Thomas said last April. “I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure, and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines.”

Democrats have made a push for major Supreme Court reforms, including a “binding” code of ethics, including Biden’s comprehensive plan he announced last week. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) derided the Democratic president’s ambitious plans as “dead on arrival,” while Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) told Fox News that Biden’s “court packing” plans smacked “of arrogance.” 

As the Left continues to criticize Thomas and other conservative Supreme Court justices, Republicans have maintained that Democrats’ ire is politically motivated. 

In his letter, Wyden asked Crow’s lawyer to supply more information about the financial relationship between Crow and Thomas.

However, a spokesman for Crow said his lawyers had “already addressed Senator Wyden’s inquiries, which have no legal basis and are only intended to harass a private citizen.” They also accused Wyden of a politically motivated effort to undermine the Supreme Court.