The January 6 committee in the House has finally reached out to Ginni Thomas — the wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — for testimony, and she’s indicated she’ll voluntarily testify, although that doesn’t seem to have happened yet as of this Sunday. But on CNN, panel member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) indicated he believes Clarence should recuse himself from certain cases.
Ginni was involved in the push to overturn the 2020 presidential election outcome. Recently, it was revealed she’d even been in touch with now former Trump lawyer John Eastman, who formulated and helped push proposals by which then-VP Mike Pence could supposedly block the certification in Congress of Joe Biden’s win. Ginni was also in repeated contact with then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who she encouraged to continue the fight against Biden’s victory. Meadows obviously wasn’t just a nobody — Ginni was advocating at the highest levels of U.S. government. Schiff commented as follows:
‘We want to know what [Ginni] knows, what her involvement was in this plot to overturn the election… And so, we have a range of questions to ask her. Obviously, I think, the committee will be interested in among other things whether this was discussed with Justice Thomas given that he was ruling on cases impacting whether we would get some of this information.’
Asked about his thoughts — in the event that answer’s “yes” — about calls for Clarence Thomas to resign or be impeached, Schiff added:
‘I think that at a minimum it suggests — and I think we know enough to say this already — that Justice Thomas, to avoid even the appearance of impropriety should have nothing to do with any cases relating to January 6, particularly regarding our investigation, because we want our Justices to uphold a standard that goes beyond what’s lawful or unlawful to avoiding even the appearance of a conflict or impropriety.’
On CNN, Schiff also noticeably seemed to leave the option of the House riot investigation committee subpoenaing former Vice President Mike Pence on the metaphorical table. Pence, of course, eventually refused to go along with what Eastman, Trump, and others wanted him to do. The then-VP didn’t actually possess the legally recognized power to undertake the move Trump wanted. Watch some of Schiff’s comments below:
Schiff doesn't rule out subpoenaing Mike Pence pic.twitter.com/6GgTAQgyY5
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 19, 2022
“I can’t wait to clear up misconceptions. I look forward to talking to them,” Ginni said about the prospect of testifying to the January 6 committee, although she’s obviously not actually a trustworthy source for “clearing up misconceptions,” considering her previously documented, firm belief in brazen lies about the 2020 presidential race. “Over the last few years, we have become numb to bad acts by powerful actors, but Clarence and Ginni Thomas have participated in one of the worst breaches of trust ever seen in our court system,” Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) recently said amid renewed concerns. “Clarence Thomas cannot possibly be seen as a neutral actor but instead as a corrupt jurist who has poisoned the High Court. Clarence Thomas should have dignity and final respect for our democracy and resign.”
Inbox: Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell calls on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to resign over new reporting about Ginni Thomas.
"Clarence Thomas cannot possibly be seen as a neutral actor but instead as a corrupt jurist who has poisoned the High Court." pic.twitter.com/NnvMOUDd3e
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) June 16, 2022
