Even before today's news that billionaire Harlan Crow purchased Clarence Thomas's mother's house (which she still lives in), paying Thomas without disclosing Thomas owns it, Justice Thomas had piled up enough ethical breaches to require his resignation. But this latest outrage is far beyond the boundary-pushing obfuscation he has been practicing since he came on the scene.
I found a 2011 post on my blog that said "Clarence Thomas should resign," linking to this story about how he had failed to disclose the fact that the organization Citizens United had supported his nomination with more than $100,000 in ads in 1991. Of course, Thomas did not recuse himself from the 2010 Citizens United SCOTUS decision, anymore than he did the decision about the January 6 insurrection, in which his wife was involved.
Unlike those earlier transgressions, which he has managed to ignore by saying his close involvement with them did not affect him, real estate transactions are specifically required to be disclosed. And there is no "hospitality" excuse this time, as hollow as that was in the first round of Harlan Crow reporting.
Donald Trump's many travesties made the acts of Richard Nixon pale in comparison. Clarence Thomas's corruption makes Abe Fortas look like a Boy Scout.
Both Trump and Thomas show how far this country has fallen from good governance, particularly the Republican Party. (Since we know from the Al Franken case, among others, that Democrats would not be likely to let one of their own stay in office in similar circumstances.) It's all might-makes-right, and they don't care who knows it.
Clarence Thomas should resign. Republicans should call on him to resign. I don't care how naive it sounds to say it.
1 comment:
Absolutely.
Post a Comment