In a poetic story of check and balance, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is under pressure from two Democratic senators. The senators asked Thomas to disclose whether he had paid back any principal on a loan he had taken from a wealthy friend.
The letter, which was sent to Thomas’s attorney on Tuesday, May 21, raises concerns about possible tax infractions. Thomas is a Supreme Court justice with conservative views and is also one of its longest-serving members.
In the petition, Senator Ron Wyden and Sheldon Whitehouse wrote that they claim that Thomas never paid back a sizable amount of the $267,230 he loaned. He got the loan from his buddy Anthony Welters. However, they were more concerned with why Thomas did not say if the debt was relinquished.
First revealed in August 2023, Thomas used a Welters loan to purchase his opulent RV, a Prevost Le Mirage XL Marathon, in 1999.
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Wyden and Whitehouse serve on the chairs of the Senate Finance Committee. As stated in the letter, the committee learned in October 2023 that Welters stopped paying in late 2008.
Elliot Berke, Thomas’s legal representative, said the senators were informed in January 2024 that Welters would be paid until conditions were met. However, Wyden and Whitehouse’s letter referred to Berke’s response as a non-answer.
The senator said the word satisfied was vague as it could mean several things, ranging from repayment to debt forgiveness. If Welters forgave Thomas’s debt, he must report it as income on his tax returns.
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The senators asked Berke to reply with details regarding the loan’s terms and payback by June 3. Berke has not answered any requests for comment at the moment. This inquiry is only a small part of a larger ethical conflict with the judiciary.
In April 2023, it was revealed that Thomas had been taking rather expensive vacations from Republican billionaire Harlan Crow for a very long time. This action is in breach of the financial disclosure law. Further investigation revealed that the billionaire had paid for Thomas’ nephew’s tuition.
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Republicans want Thomas to withdraw from Trump’s appeal due to his involvement in the election meddling case, claiming immunity from prosecution. Democrats cite information about his spouse, Ginni Thomas, participating in activities to alter the last electoral outcome.
Thomas is one of the Supreme Court judges hearing Trump’s immunity petition, which started on April 25, 2024.
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