Amy Klobuchar, who sits on the Senate judiciary committee, says Clarence Thomas' undisclosed lavish gifts from billionaire GOP donor is 'serious' and callsfor stronger ethics rules
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
- Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose ties to a GOP megadonor, ProPublica reported.
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar called the lack of disclosure of these ties "serious."
- Klobuchar called for "ethics rules in the Supreme Court that are clear and enforceable."
Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' lack of disclosure of ties between him and a billionaire Republican donor is "serious."
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A ProPublica investigation found that Thomas had taken luxurious vacations with Harlan Crow, a billionaire real estate magnate, and GOP megadonor, among other things. Thomas did not disclose those ties. Additionally, Thomas did not say that he sold his childhood home to Crow in 2014, who renovated it. Thomas' 94-year-old mother still lives in that home, ProPublica reported.
"When you have billionaires who are on boards with cases pending before the court, buying a justice's mom's home and renovating it, and then that justice doesn't report it, this isn't even an exception for personal friendships," Klobuchar, a member of the Senate judiciary committee told ABC "This Week" host Jonathan Karl on Sunday.
Klobuchar added: "This is a case where the law clearly says you have to report these things. Yet he reported that same year a medallion he was given from Yale. Another year he reported when he was given tires. But he doesn't report this? And he didn't report the lavish vacation on yachts?"
Klobuchar on Sunday said there needs to be "ethics rules in the Supreme Court that are clear and enforceable."
"This should not be a double standard. Every federal judge in the country comes under these ethics rules. So, if they don't do it, then the Congress should do it," she said.