“We do not make this demand lightly”: Senators call for criminal investigations against Clarence Thomas

U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-I.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) are calling for a criminal investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for possible violations of federal ethics and tax laws.

In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland last week, Whitehouse and Wyden called for the appointment of a special counsel to determine whether Thomas violated several laws by concealing a forgiven loan and gifts he received from benefactors.

Thomas failed to report a forgiven loan of $267,230.00 as income after he defaulted on the loan used to purchase a luxury coach.

This raises the question of whether Thomas “properly reported the relevant income on his tax return,” a White House statement said.

“We do not make this request lightly. The evidence gathered to date clearly indicates that Judge Thomas has committed numerous willful violations of federal ethics and false statements laws, and there are significant doubts about whether he and his wealthy patrons have met their federal tax obligations,” the senators wrote in the letter.

The senators also called on the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate undisclosed gifts Thomas has received from “billionaire benefactors,” including private jet trips, a country club membership, home renovations and tuition for his son. According to a ProPublica investigation, Thomas has been receiving holiday gifts from billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow for more than 20 years.

Thomas, who has served as a Supreme Court justice for more than 30 years, has failed to disclose many of those gifts, which would violate ethics rules that apply to other branches of government. Members of Congress, for example, are generally prohibited from accepting gifts valued at $50 or more. In June, Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Maryland) introduced a bill that would impose the same restriction on Supreme Court justices.

In their letter, the senators demand that the court be held to an equal standard.

“Judges are expected to abide by laws designed to prevent conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety, and to comply with federal tax laws,” the letter said. “We therefore request that you appoint a special counsel with authority to investigate possible offenses by Judge Thomas under the disclosure, false statements, and tax laws; to pursue leads of related offenses by donors, lenders, and intermediary entities; and to determine whether such loans and gifts were made as part of a coordinated scheme or plan.”

Last month, the Supreme Court ruled by a 6-3 majority that local officials can now effectively accept bribes if they come in the form of tips, like many of the gifts Justice Thomas himself has accepted, The Guardian reported.

Senator Whitehouse had previously pushed for an investigation into Judge Thomas’s failure to disclose gifts, but had not previously called for the appointment of a special counsel.