- Democratic senators have called on Merrick Garland to open a special counsel investigation into Clarence Thomas.
- They want to investigate Mr Thomas' ethics and the “significant possibility” of tax evasion through undeclared gifts.
- Mr. Thomas' financial ties to billionaire Harlan Crow and other elites have come under increasing scrutiny.
Two Democratic senators have called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to open a special counsel investigation into Clarence Thomas.
In a letter released Tuesday, Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Ron Wyden of Oregon called for an investigation into possible federal ethics violations and “potential significant tax evasion” by the Supreme Court justice.
Thomas has faced increasing scrutiny over his personal and financial ties to billionaire right-wing megadonors such as Harlan Crow, who has provided the Supreme Court justice with lavish international trips, gifts and even tuition money to send Thomas' nephew, Mark Martin, to an expensive boarding school.
Last August, Thomas updated his financial disclosure for 2022 to include gifts and vacation time from Crowe that he had not previously declared.
“We do not make this request lightly,” the senators wrote. “The evidence gathered to date clearly demonstrates that Judge Thomas has willfully and repeatedly violated federal ethics and false statement laws, raising serious questions about whether he and his wealthy benefactors complied with their federal tax obligations. Despite being given the opportunity to resolve questions about his conduct, Judge Thomas has maintained a suspicious silence.”
A White House spokesperson directed Business Insider to a press release about the letter, which said that the White House had been calling for the Judicial Conference for over a year to investigate Judge Thomas' “omission of billionaire contributions and income from his legally required annual financial disclosure reports.”
A representative for Senate Finance Committee Chairman Wyden told Business Insider that the committee released a staff memo in October stating that Thomas never reported receiving $267,230 in loan forgiveness in his ethics form, raising questions about his tax compliance.
After the committee repeatedly asked Thomas and his lawyers for an explanation over months without response, a spokesman said a request for a formal investigation was a necessary next step.
A Department of Justice spokesperson declined to comment on the letter when contacted by Business Insider.
A lawyer for the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Thomas has previously denied any wrongdoing and argued that he did not have to disclose the gifts from Crow and others because they fell under the “personal entertainment exemption.”
