Senate Dems to Harlan Crow: Make a list, check it twice
“If the Supreme Court won’t implement ethics reform itself, @JudiciaryDems will,” Durbin wrote.
The Senate Judiciary Committee wants GOP mega donor Harlan Crow to list the gifts he has given to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and others on the court.
In a letter on Monday signed by the committee’s Democratic members, the panel asked the billionaire to provide a full accounting of gifts worth more than $415 that he has provided free of cost to Supreme Court justices or their family members. He was also asked to list all lodging, transportation, real estate transactions and admissions to private clubs that he has provided.
“We’re seeking information on whether individuals with interests before the Supreme Court were able to gain access to Justices through gifts, lodging, and travel from Harlan Crow and his companies,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chair of the committee, tweeted Tuesday morning.
“If the Supreme Court won’t implement ethics reform itself, @JudiciaryDems will,” he added.
The letter follows a pair of recent ProPublica reports, which found that Crow has been footing the bill for Thomas’ lavish vacations for more than two decades and paid for private school for the justice’s relative.
Crow has denied accusations that he attempted to influence Thomas’ work on the court, while the justice said he believed he was following the court’s disclosure rules.
The Judiciary Committee also sent letters to a trio of companies associated with Crow on Monday, including those that were involved in Thomas’ and Crow’s time spent at a private resort and on a private jet and superyacht. Those companies were also called upon to list any guests who overlapped with Thomas, or other justices, at those locations.