Clarence Thomas declares lavish trips with megadonor Harlan Crow in 2022 financial disclosure

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas included several trips that were paid for by Harlan Crow on his 2022 financial disclosure report, after months of accusations pertaining to his financial ties to the wealthy conservative.

Under “reimbursements”, Justice Thomas included four lines, three of which were attributed to Mr Crow, in which his travel, transportation, meals or lodging was paid for.

In one instance from February 2022, Mr Crow paid for Justice Thomas to fly privately from the American Enterprise Institute’s Conference due to an “unexpected ice storm”.

Another, from May 2022, reveals Mr Crow paid for Justice Thomas’s transportation and meals after the Dobbs v Jackson opinion leak because the Administrative Office “recommended noncommercial travel whenever possible” due to increased security risk.”

Justice Thomas also received transportation, meals, entertainment and lodging from Mr Crow in July 2022 when he stayed at Mr Crow’s Adirondacks property.

In a note specific to that trip, the Supreme Court Justice added that the trip was “consistent with previous filings by other filers” but that it was moved from the “gifts” section to “reimbursements” in accordance with new guidance.

Justice Thomas’s disclosure comes after months of scrutiny from other lawmakers and the public about his failure to reveal his ties to Mr Crow – a prominent billionaire and Republican donor.

An investigation first published by ProPublica revealed Justice Thomas accepted luxurious vacations from Mr Crow and other wealthy businesspeople.

Activists attend a rally calling for an investigation into US Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, on Capitol Hill (EPA)
Activists attend a rally calling for an investigation into US Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, on Capitol Hill (EPA)

Justice Thomas’ financial report was released on Thursday, approximately two months after other Justices’ financial disclosure reports were made public.

Justice Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito requested 90-day extensions, though they did not clarify why.

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