So Clarence Thomas took several more trips on the private plane of GOP megadonor Harlan Crow than were previously known, Sen. Dick Durbin revealed yesterday. Between the private yachts and the luxury jet trips, when the hell did he have the time to tour trailer parks on his luxury megabus? Via CNN:
According to information obtained by Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, Thomas traveled on Crow’s private jet during trips in 2017, 2019 and 2021 between various US states, as well as on a previously known 2019 trip to Indonesia, during which Thomas also stayed on Crow’s mega-yacht.
The newly revealed private plane trips add to the picture of luxury travel enjoyed by Thomas and bankrolled by friends of the justice who have ties to conservative politics. Thomas has come under fire for his failure to include such trips on financial disclosure forms the justices release each year, though he and his defenders argue that he followed the court’s disclosure rules as they were understood at the time.
The revelation was likely to add to the tension between the high court, where conservatives hold a 6-3 majority, and Democrats on Capitol Hill, who have been pushing for more than a year for tighter ethics rules. A series of ethics scandals involving Thomas and, more recently, Justice Samuel Alito, have left public approval of the court at historic lows.
Clarence didn't seem to have many friends until he started whining to Republican donors about how underpaid he was, and that maybe he should just quit the court. That's when the luxury lifestyle really took off! Wonder how many invitations he'd get if somehow he had to resign.
I just keep thinking about the look on Billy Ray Valentine's face when he heard exactly what the Duke brothers thought of him in Trading Places.
