Senator Sheldon White House (D-RI) has asked Judicial Conference AG Merrick Garland to investigate Clarence Thomas’ real estate deals.
Video:
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse asked Attorney General Garland to investigate Clarence Thomas’ real estate deal. pic.twitter.com/hjZOV9PzVj
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 14, 2023
Senator Whitehouse said on MSNBC’s closing remarks:
All this is done by federal law, code of conduct by state law. And the freedom of private accommodation that’s been in the news for the past few years, a few weeks ago, is the nature of an ethics rule in state law that Judge Thomas says requires disclosure of real estate transactions. The attorney general’s ability to pursue civil investigations and punish anyone who violates that law is part of the state’s ethics code.
So, I have asked the judge – the head of the jury to open a file to the Attorney General to make a referral and conduct basic factual investigations so there are official records of what actually happened and that is beyond question. By the time the real estate deal was disclosed, it had already been done by the Campaign Law Center regarding ethical violations in state law.
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The point of asking Garland to investigate these events is to put pressure on both Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts. The Campaign Legal Center has already asked the Judicial Council to refer Thomas to the DOJ for illegal gifts and donations he took from a Republican megadonor.
The scandal of Thomas will not disappear. Republicans and Roberts are hoping the scandal will blow over, but calls seem to only grow for Thomas to resign and step down from the Supreme Court.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House Press Pool and Congressional Correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform activities.
Awards and professional memberships
Member of the Association of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association