Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife Ginni has long been an ultra-right activist. They often attended events together, and while their appearance has been uncomfortable, the Thomases did not step over the ethical line. But the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has just raised a serious issue concerning the couple in a letter to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. CREW expressed concern over Justice Thomas’ potential “conflict of interest.”
Ginni Thomas appeared before the January 6 Select Committee recently, and she stuck firmly to the Big Lie that Democrats stole the election from Donald Trump in spite of ample evidence against the conspiracy theory. Indeed, she was communicating with then Chief of Staff Mark Meadows about January 6, 2021. In fact, Mrs. Thomas contributed to the January 6 event and even attended Trump’s rally that day.
CREW President Noah Bookbinder wrote to each committee raising the issue of Justice Thomas’ “failure to recuse:”
‘It is critical that those responsible for the attack on the Capitol be held accountable and that the integrity of the Supreme Court not be tainted by conflicts of interest. The Judiciary Committees have responsibility for the oversight of our judiciary and law enforcement agencies, and investigating Ginni Thomas’ conduct and Justice Thomas’ failure to recuse is an essential exercise of that oversight responsibility.’
CREW pointed out that the Supreme Court justice has “recused himself from 54 cases:”
‘[Justice Thomas] has recused himself from 54 cases since joining the Supreme Court [in 1991] in order to avoid the perception of potential conflicts of interest, including 17 cases involving his son.’
However, Bookbinder wrote that Justice Thomas “has never recused because of a potential conflict involving his wife:”
‘It is hard to imagine something more damaging to the public trust in the Supreme Court than a Justice ruling on cases that could relate to their spouses’ attempts to overturn American democracy. An immediate investigation is needed.’
The CREW president noted that Ginni Thomas was emailing Arizona legislators trying to get Republican legislators to find a “clean slate of electors:”
‘Ms. Thomas also contacted state officials in key states to encourage them to set aside the results of statewide elections and thereby alter the results of the presidential election. Soon after the 2020 election, Ginni Thomas e-mailed legislators in Arizona asking them to appoint a so-called “clean slate of electors” rather than those legitimately chosen by the people of Arizona.’
‘She also contacted legislators in Wisconsin urging them to appoint their own set of electors rather than those chosen by the people of Wisconsin.’
Donald Trump was just subpoenaed to appear before the House January 6 Select Committee, according to CNN News. If he resists and takes it to the Supreme Court, will Justice Thomas be willing to recuse himself?
Featured images is from Ginni Thomas’ Facebook page.
Christie writes Gloria Christie Reports & Three White Lions Substack newsletters and a Three White Lions podcast available on Apple, Spotify, etc. She is a political journalist for the liberal online newspaper The Bipartisan Report. Written in her own unique style with a twist of humor. Christie’s Mueller Report Adventures In Bite-Sizes a real-life compelling spy mystery (in progress). Find her here on Facebook. Or at Three White Lions her book on Amazon Kindle Vella and the Gloria Christie Three White Lions podcast on Apple, Spotify, etc.
