New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is calling for Justice Clarence Thomas to be impeached and removed from his seat on the Supreme Court after it was revealed that he accepted undisclosed luxury vacations from a GOP megadonor.
"This is beyond party or partisanship," she wrote on Twitter. "This degree of corruption is shocking — almost cartoonish. Thomas must be impeached."
\u201cThis is beyond party or partisanship. This degree of corruption is shocking - almost cartoonish. Thomas must be impeached.\n\nBarring some dramatic change, this is what the Roberts court will be known for: rank corruption, erosion of democracy, and the stripping of human rights.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1680788971
Thomas and his wife, Ginni, accepted trips on yachts and private jets owned by Dallas businessman Harlan Crow for years without disclosing the travel, according to an investigation form ProPublica. The cost of one "gifted" trip to Indonesia totaled over $500,000.
Crow confirmed the findings, but insisted in a statement that Thomas "never asked for any of this hospitality."
Ocasio-Cortez continued to say that Thomas' actions constitute corruption, and that it will reflect negatively on the Court and current Chief Justice, John Roberts.
"Barring some dramatic change, this is what the Roberts court will be known for: rank corruption, erosion of democracy, and the stripping of human rights," the congresswoman said.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island also called on Roberts to act, Tweeting that the report "cries out for the kind of independent investigation that the Supreme Court — and only the Supreme Court, across the entire government— refuses to perform."
"It’s not just the undisclosed gifts of hospitality, it’s the undisclosed company of political operatives," Whitehouse said, adding, "Who were Thomas’s companions on these free undisclosed vacations, and what interests did those undisclosed companions have before the Court? The question is obvious."
\u201cWho were Thomas\u2019s companions on these free undisclosed vacations, and what interests did those undisclosed companions have before the Court? The question is obvious.\u201d— Sheldon Whitehouse (@Sheldon Whitehouse) 1680786904
Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dick Durbin, also released a statement in which he referred to the ProPublica report as a "call to action," and ensured that "the Senate Judiciary Committee will act."
"The highest court in the land shouldn't have the lowest ethical standards," he wrote, continuing, "[Thomas'] behavior is simply inconsistent with the ethical standards the American people expect of any public servant, let alone a Justice on the Supreme Court."
\u201cBREAKING: @SenatorDurbin\u2019s statement on reports of undisclosed gifts accepted by Justice Clarence Thomas.\n\nDurbin renews call for an enforceable code of conduct for Justices.\u201d— Senate Judiciary Committee (@Senate Judiciary Committee) 1680798659
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