Reporting on lavish trips struck a nerve: Clarence Thomas issues defensive statement
The bombshell ProPublica report on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ years of lavish vacations and private jet flights as the guest of billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow seems to have hit its mark: Thomas responded on Friday, defending his actions to this point but saying he will disclose the travel in future.
Thomas appears to have run afoul of a law requiring officials, including Supreme Court justices, to disclose gifts worth over $415. While “Food, lodging, or entertainment received as personal hospitality need not be reported,” travel—as on a private jet or a yacht—does have to be disclosed, as do “gifts extended at property or facilities owned by an entity, rather than by an individual or an individual’s family,” which could apply to the private Adirondacks resort that Crow owns through a company.
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