Politics and Current
Undeterred Clarence Thomas under fire after reports revealing more undisclosed trips aboard the GOP billionaire’s private jet and nearly $4.2 million in gifts
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is under fire again over his repeated acceptance of luxury gifts and free travel after Senate Democrats released a series of documents showing the veteran lawyer didn’t disclose three private flights he took with billionaire Republican Party donor Harlan Crow in 2017–2021.
As detailed in a document provided by Crow’s lawyers to the Senate Judiciary Committee, two of the flights were round trips and one included multiple destinations.
The latest revelation in the case follows a shocking ProPublica report last yr that exposed Judge Thomas usually accepted gifts from multiple billionaire Republican megadonors, including former Berkshire Hathaway executive David Sokol, former Miami Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga and Crow, a Dallas real estate mogul, amongst others.
Judge Thomas never mentioned it in his annual financial reports, regardless that he received very expensive gifts for over 20 years.
The Senate Finance Committee can also be investigating Thomas’s financial dealings over the past 20 years amid increased calls for stricter ethics rules and Thomas’ resignation.
Recent documents show that Judge Thomas traveled across the country at will, which indicates that in May 2017 he flew on a Crow private jet from St. Louis to Kalispell, Montana, and then went to Dallas. Then, in March 2019, the conservative justice took the billionaire’s private jet from Washington, D.C. to Savannah, Georgia, and back. In June 2021, Thomas secretly flew from Washington, D.C., to San Jose, California, and back, in line with logs obtained by the Judiciary Committee.
The most notable discovery is that Thomas made three journeys that had not been previously disclosed.
The news got here shortly after a report by the group Fix the Court found that Thomas had received more gifts than every other Supreme Court justice in history, with the total value of those gifts since 1981 exceeding $5.87 million, including nearly .2 million dollars were received in just the last 20 years, in line with the commission’s reading.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, criticized Thomas for what he called a transparent violation of ethics and decency.
“Nearly $4.2 million in gifts, and even that was not enough for Judge Thomas, with at least three additional trips that the Commission has not disclosed to date, the Commission found,” Durbin said in a press release. press release. “The Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation into the Supreme Court’s ethics crisis provides new information – like the one we released today – and makes clear that the high court needs an enforceable code of conduct as its members continue to choose not to meet for the moment.”
Thomas previously admitted that he received only 27 gifts on federal disclosure forms before Fix the Court released its research, while his lack of transparency led to ongoing discussions on Capitol Hill about judicial ethics.
Legal experts suggested that failing to reveal the trips would likely not result in any penalty for Thomas.
The Code of Conduct for Judges, established in November 2023, has no provisions on consequences in the event of breaches, nor does it provide a mechanism for determining whether such breaches have occurred.
The code, devoid of any real enforcement power, has come under increasing criticism in the wake of the various ethics scandals which have engulfed the Supreme Court over the past yr.
More recently, the controversy surrounding Justice Samuel Alito and the display of far-right flags at two of his residences in reference to the January 6 attack only highlighted the ineffectiveness of the code.
Last June, Alito also sought to dispel a ProPublica report alleging that he went on a luxury fishing trip to Alaska 15 years ago with a billionaire Republican donor whose hedge fund was the subject of several Supreme Court decisions that Alito never he didn’t withdraw.
Meanwhile, a few of the gifts Thomas received helped cover various living expenses, including private school tuition for his grandson, automobile batteries and tires for the family vehicle, ProPublica reports.
But Crow was the one who really raised the lifestyle for the conservative justice after a few of the financial difficulties Thomas had in his early years on the Supreme Court.
According to ProPublica, Crow paid for Thomas’ extravagant around-the-world vacation on a private jet, and also financed exotic cruises on a luxury yacht and the purchase of a luxury RV with a $267,000 loan that Thomas didn’t should repay.
The reasons for the largesse towards Thomas remain unclear, raising concerns about potential attempts to influence and corrupt the highest court in the land.
Crow previously insisted that he and Thomas were close friends and that Thomas had not adjudicated on any matters involving his estate.
Yale Law School professor George Priest, who has spent summers with Thomas and Crow in the past, told ProPublica that he believed Crow’s generosity was geared toward improving Thomas’s quality of life fairly than attempting to influence his legal opinions.
Lawmakers use every ethics controversy as a platform to call for a code of conduct that imposes real consequences for actions perceived as undermining confidence in the Supreme Court.
“As a result of our investigation and subpoena authorization, we are providing the American public with greater clarity about the scope of Supreme Court justices’ ethical lapses and the need for ethics reform,” Durbin also noted in his statement. “Despite his lowest ever approval rating and endless self-made scandals, Chief Justice Roberts continues to refuse to use his current powers to implement an enforceable code of conduct.”
As with all revelations about Thomas, the latest report sparked criticism of the Supreme Court justice and calls for his removal or resignation.
“Stop framing it as, ‘Thomas must resign’ – he won’t ever, ever, ever try this – start pushing for impeachment. With each revelation about Clarence Thomas’ gifts from billionaire donor Harlan Crow, it becomes more and more clear: Congress must impeach Thomas,” one X user wrote.
“Accepting money shows he has no integrity. It would take honesty to resign. He has served the far right throughout his career,” wrote one other user. “This man is an embarrassment to every bar card holder and has no shame in bringing the same to SCOTUS.”
Politics and Current
Biden will meet with Trump over a White House tradition that Trump broke four years ago
President-elect Donald Trump, the forty seventh latest president of the United States of America, will meet with President Joe Biden within the Oval Office on Wednesday as a part of the tradition of a peaceful transition of power on the White House.
The peaceful transfer of power dates back to 1801, when the president of the outgoing administration transferred power to the brand new administration and the opposing political party. At that time, the nation’s second president, John Adams, peacefully handed over the presidency to Thomas Jefferson.
But on Wednesday morning, President Biden will offer Trump something he couldn’t afford after being elected in 2020: a meeting with the present president within the White House Oval Office.
This 12 months, then-President Trump falsely accused Democrats of stealing the presidential election from him so as to install former Vice President Biden because the forty sixth president of the United States.
Trump’s vice chairman, Mike Pence, selected to follow the Constitution and certify the outcomes of the 2020 election, declaring Biden the winner of the Electoral College – against Trump’s wishes. As a results of President Trump’s election lies, which included encouraging his voters to “fight like hell” or “they won’t have a country anymore,” a mob of Trump supporters attacked the Capitol constructing after attending Trump’s “Stop the Steal” conference. ” so January 6, 2021
For Trump, the tradition of outgoing and incoming presidents is ironic because, as president-elect, he needed to face then-President Barack Obama during his meeting within the Oval Office to rejoice the approaching peaceful transition. The meeting got here after Trump fiercely attacked Obama and his Democratic presidential opponent, Hillary Clinton, in 2016.
Trump and Obama met within the Oval Office on November 16, 2018. The two politicians had never met in person before, which was very true after the rancorous and racist presidential campaign.
To the dismay of Black Americans and Democrats, Trump softly launched his presidential bid based on the racist claim that Obama was not a U.S. citizen. In this fashion, based on critics, Trump desired to delegitimize Obama’s historic victory within the 2008 presidential election.
During the planned and expected meeting, Obama was then described as “presidential” and “professional,” putting aside his hatred of the campaign and meeting with Trump for about 90 minutes, well longer than the scheduled time. The discussion on the agenda included various topics intended to assist the brand new president achieve a peaceful transfer of power.
While President Biden is extending presidential courtesy to Trump’s latest but familiar White House transition team, sources say there may be bad blood there. Once again through the 2024 election cycle, Trump used racist and slander tactics against his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
During his first appearance on the Oval with President Obama, next to whom a bronze bust of Martin Luther King Jr. stands on the best side of the hearth, Trump told the press within the room: “It was a meeting that was supposed to last maybe 10 or 15 minutes and we were just getting to know each other.” “.
The New York native continued: “We have never met. That’s why I have great respect for it.”
“The meeting lasted almost an hour and a half, and for my part it could have lasted for much longer. We really discussed a lot of various situations,” Trump said on the time.
Trump, clearly impressed and in need of help dealing with his latest job within the White House – which former first lady Michelle Obama famously described as a “dark job” when prodding him at this 12 months’s DNC conference – told reporters: “I’m looking forward to being with the president in the long run, including with an advisor.”
As Democrats and others attempt to shake off the collective depression attributable to Harris’ stunning loss to Trump, many are looking forward to what to anticipate from a second Trump administration.
In the 2024 presidential election, Trump won the favored vote and the Electoral College – the primary Republican to achieve this since 2004. Trump received barely more electoral votes than within the last election, giving him a bonus. But the primary obstacle for Democrats was voter turnout, as apathy among the many party appeared to rear its head.
Regardless of the end result, Johnson offered hope to the country, stating: “We have to keep pushing and hoping.”
Politics and Current
A Washington police officer who shot a black man with his hands in the air over a stop sign, then dragged his body and slammed it into the ground, remains on the force despite an $8 million payout to his family
The city of Lakewood, Washington, has reached an agreement with the family of a 26-year-old black man who was shot thrice by an officer who claimed he was acting in self-defense.
He said Joquin died on May 1, 2020, after Officer Michael Wiley stopped him for running a stop sign. The $8 million settlement announced last week is coming to an end federal civil rights lawsuit Joquin’s parents filed a criticism against the officer, who claimed their son had lunged for a gun lying on the floor of his vehicle.
According to the lawsuit, Wiley approached Joquin’s automobile with a gun drawn and told him, “Shut up or you’ll get shot.” The lawsuit states that Joquin, as Wiley requested, had his hands up when he was shot. After the shooting, Wiley allegedly pulled Joquin out of the automobile and “threw him to the ground.”
Wiley was involved in one other expensive suit v. Lakewood in 2017. He was one in every of three officers found by a jury answerable for the death of one other young black man, Leonard Thomas, for a record $15.1 million. A post-trial settlement was reached in exchange for $13 million and a promise not to appeal.
Thomas was holding his 4-year-old son when he was shot in the stomach by a Lakewood SWAT sniper. Wiley reportedly announced “Jackpot!” Testimony shows he spoke on the police radio after Thomas was shot and later praised his colleague for taking the “million-dollar f–king shot,” according to trial testimony. Thomas bled to death, begging cops not to take his boy.
Evidence from Thomas’ trial “revealed that Wiley was an exceptionally aggressive officer who had an insufficient understanding of the use of force, was willing to use weapons, explosives and unnecessary force, and who demonstrated a striking lack of concern for life,” Joquin filed the family’s lawsuit.
Wiley remains in service. Joquin’s lawsuit alleged that Lakewood police were “unreasonable and reckless” in continuing to employ him regardless that a jury in Thomas found that he had violated the victim’s civil rights.
A previous attempt to dismiss Joquin’s lawsuit was blocked by the US District Judge David Estudillo. Wiley, the judge wrote in his August order, had a “documented history of using force against people he helped detain.”
He said there was enough evidence for the jury to find that “Joquin did not engage in furtive or threatening behavior during the encounter.”
Dawn Kortner, Joquin’s mother, he said in a 2021 interview, she never believed Wiley’s account.
“I feel like it’s overkill,” Kortner said. “He took steps he shouldn’t have taken. I believe he was too aggressive and I would like him to be held accountable for what he did. He shouldn’t receive a pension and sit at home and enjoy his children when we will not enjoy Said.
Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office Attorney Mary Robnett declined to press charges against Wiley for Joquin’s death.
In a letter to Lakewood Police Chief Mike Zaro, Robnett cited Joquin’s “unpredictable and dangerous behavior” in running a stop sign in front of police on a busy road. She also concluded that bullet trajectory evidence showed that Joquin didn’t raise his hands when Wiley shot him.
Wiley was also cleared for internal examination.
In a statement, Lakewood officials said: “Any life cut short is a tragedy and we can only imagine the suffering and pain they experience. The decision to reach an agreement was made with the best outcome for all parties involved in mind.”
Politics and Current
Without Kamala Harris in the White House, Democrats are turning to Hakeem Jeffries
As Democrats proceed to lick their wounds following Kamala Harris’ stunning defeat to President-elect Donald Trump, all eyes are on Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), whose party in Congress has little likelihood of regaining the majority in the House of Representatives.
If Democrats manage to win the House, it’s going to give the party its only hope of slowing Trump’s agenda. Jeffries, a 54-year-old congressman from Brooklyn, New York, also became Speaker of the House, making history as the first African American to hold the position, just two steps of separation in the line of presidential succession.
As Donald Trump begins to appoint members of his second administration’s Cabinet to be tasked with implementing his agenda – which incorporates proposed mass deportations, the elimination of racial equity programs and big cuts in federal spending – Democrats’ ability to play defense will probably be crucial to mitigating this. , which they see as potentially critical blows to vulnerable communities.
Democrats view Jeffries, the current House minority leader, as a key leader of the party, especially if his caucus can gain a majority. This would involve the commission’s control – which incorporates significant subpoena power – and shaping the federal budget. At the very least, it might enable Democrats to force Republicans to make concessions where possible.
As a six-term congressman known for sticking to his word, Jeffries is a respected and admired politician in the Democratic Party.
Payne said Jeffries, who represents a “generational turn” in the party, “has shown that he is a truly gifted communicator and communicator.” He added: “He has some different skill sets that other Democrats may not be able to. And I think that’s something that Democrats will really benefit from.
Payne continued if elected Speaker of the House, “(Jeffries) will become the most important Democrat in the country with any power. She is essentially taking over the mantle that Nancy Pelosi took on when she was re-elevated to speaker during Trump’s first presidency.”
But Payne cautioned that even when Democrats manage to amass a razor-thin majority in the House, it’s going to still be an uphill battle.
He noted that the caucus will include many Democrats “from districts where Donald Trump is popular.” “You still have to hold together a club that will come under cross-pressure from Donald Trump, who is more popular than he was four and eight years ago.”
At this point, Plaskett noted that Democrats would want to take a leaf out of her book as a member of Congress representing a U.S. territory.
“I have limited voting rights, so I understand what it means to punch above your weight,” said Plaskett, who said that being a political minority in Congress requires “cooperating with members of the Democratic caucus, as well as the Republican caucus when it is advantageous to do so for the interests of (our) voters.”
Policy
Democrats also see an incredible opportunity to strengthen Black political power in Washington with the elevation of Hakeem Jeffries.
“Him coming out as a black man from Brooklyn and being a major foil for Donald Trump — I think that’s important at a time like this,” Payne said.
But Congressman Clyburn cautions that Jeffries must overcome a few of the challenges Harris faced as the first woman and first person of color to function vice chairman.
“It’s a big burden that needs a lot of help to carry,” said the lawmaker who served as House majority whip and deputy Democratic leader.
“Kamala Harris suffered for this reason. I took it upon myself to check many individuals who kept telling me that she wasn’t this and he or she wasn’t that, she didn’t do that and he or she didn’t try this,” he recalled. “I’d ask them what number of women have been vice presidents before? She took office two months before you criticized her conduct.
As the first speaker of the Black House, Clyburn had doubts that Jeffries could be “allowed to get his sea legs… to master this job from day one.”
Seawright, the Democratic strategist, said Jeffries won’t only be speaker of the House but additionally leader of the entire national party, which he believes must “rebound, learn and grow as the next election cycles approach” in 2025 and 2026. The role Jeffries will play will probably be crucial “whether we win a majority or not.”
After the devastating defeat in the 2024 election, Seawright said Jeffries and other Democratic Party leaders need to rethink their message to voters.
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