(TheConservativeTimes.org) – Chief Justice John Roberts received a request on Thursday, April 20, from Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Dick Durbin, D. Illinois to testify at a public hearing on May 2 intended to discuss matters of possible ethical misconduct by Justice Clarence Thomas.
The ongoing discussion regarding the details of Justice Thomas’ ethics violations center around a long-standing friendship with a Republican mega donor named Harlan Crow.
Crow is the heir to a real estate fortune and continues overseeing the family business that amassed the wealth he seems eager to share. An eye-popping article released by ProPublica on April 6th, 2023, a liberal reporting outlet, has illuminated the luxury and opulence Thomas and his wife have enjoyed as friends of Mr. Crow.
In the letter requesting Chief Justice Roberts’ testimony at the hearing, the April 6th article was cited as the proof Democrats on the committee needed in order to sign on; every Democrat on the committee did indeed sign on.
Dick Durbin, D. Illinois, and democrat members of the Senate Judiciary Committee hold the article up as the example that demonstrates Justice Thomas wasn’t following ethical standards expected to be upheld within the ranks of the Supreme Court.
“The report describes conduct by a sitting Justice that he did not disclose to the public and that is plainly inconsistent with the ethical standards the American people expect of any person in a position of public trust,” the letter states.
Some experts, on the other hand, have described the article as a “political hit piece”. They dismiss it explaining that the justices, like all Americans, are not permitted to accept invites to vacation with friends or attend dinners without disclosing it or paying for it under what is known as a personal hospitality exception.
Justice Thomas maintains that he and his wife have been close friends with Harlan Crow for 25 years and that no impropriety has occurred that has influenced his opinions or rulings in his role as a Supreme Court Justice.
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