More evidence for the need of an ethics board to govern the SC.

They're only wetting themselves because Thomas is a Conservative.

Jackson didn't recuse herself when deciding in favor of a company that she owns stock in. You never heard them bitch about that.

 

But, the Constitution doesn't give the power to establish an oversight board that rides herd over the Supreme Court.

Look at it this way, without a constitutional amendment, the board could be pack by whichever party isn power, or, it could even be dissolved. Certainly you wouldn't want the latter. Yes?

 

Weak sauce! He "should have" disclosed those trips. Heck, yes, as a SC justice, he should have. He should have paid for the expenses himself, to avoid any bad optics. But he didn't. Why? I am sure he knew better. Don't we expect behavior of the highest ethical order from the occupants of lifetime appointments of the highest court in the land? Those people should be highly respected role models, not scoundrels, hiding "bribes" that they know "should have" been disclosed.

As to Hunter, he is a private citizen. If he holds one of the highest offices in the land, then you can talk about equivalency. But, go ahead, try to lock him up, I wouldn't care. He seems to be an unethical scoundrel, too.

 

Weak sauce? How so?

I am not sure that we know exactly what he did or did not pay. I suspect if he flew commercial he bought his own tickets. If flying on his private jet, who would ever pay their rich friend to join them on their private jet? If he is riding on his rich friends private yacht, why would he pay for that? Do you think they should have split the gas money? If he is staying at his rich friends resort, why would he pay for that?

I have a few rich friends and one in particular is a very close friend. Not billionaire rich, but certainly in the tens of millions type of rich. While we split costs when going to a restaurant or bar etc, I don't pay him to stay at his vacation house. I get him a few nice bottles of wine and that is the extent of it. I don't pay him when he purchases expensive catered food for a party, or rents a party bus or a portable sauna for the weekend. When he puts gas in his boat I don't offer and he doesn't expect me or any other friends to pay half. Such an expectation is silly. He might even be a little insulted if I did. I can only imagine with a billionaire this dynamic would be multiplied by a thousand.

No, there are not any legitimately bad optics in this situation. He looked into whether this is supposed to be reported, and since it was not, he did not. What is the problem?

It does not make any sense to pretend like an originalist is going to be bribed to continue being an originalist. Such an accusation is nonsensical. To imply impropriety does not make any sense. Because that does not make any sense, it also is not the appearance of impropriety.

Just because you say "weak sauce" changes nothing. The notion that this is a bribe truly does not make any sense. He is and always will be an originalist. Now if I were to look at someone with skepticism, I would look at someone like Kennedy whom has changed their voting tendencies greatly during their time on the bench. I am not implying that is the case by any means, but if it were his history, maybe there would be a little skepticism as to whether or not he was being bribed. With Thomas, he is about as reliably originalist as it gets. One does not need to read each decision to know how Thomas voted. His thought pattern is as predictable as it gets.

 

I have defended Reid for not sitting idly by while McConnell's historic obstruction left vacant many LOWER court seats. All part of the strategy to frustrate the will of the people in blocking Obama's agenda in any way possible. McTreason's escalation by removing the power of the minority in the Senate (reflecting a majority of voters) to filibuster SC nominees, to say nothing of his obscene abuse in denying Garland a hearing, and then hypocritically ramming Gorsuch's nomination through, was truly Machialvellian.

 

“Early in my tenure at the Court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable,” Thomas said.

“I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure, and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines,” he added.

What a pile of horseshyte. Are we really to be thought of as so gullible that the inappropriate political work his wife has engaged in, as well as his own judgement in cases, is not tainted further by accepting expensive trips from a donor to conservative causes? If nothing else Thomas's weak excuse highlights the need for taking decisions about such things out of the hands of justices since their judgement can not be relied on.

 

The matter is corruption within government that might require impeachment. You want to limit that to Justice Thomas, I'm not going to let you. You're going to have to do a whole lot better than he took vacations with a rich friend.

 

His wife is a lobbyist and has increased her net worth from $18 million to $78 million in the last five years. Yeah, sure, nothing to see there. Of course, you only care about corruption when it is the other side. When it is your side, it's like just a hangout with rich friends. Typical...

 

From $18 million to $78 million in 5 years is an enormous amount of money which I find very surprising, and if true, I will admit sounds highly suspicious and definitely deserves further investigation.

Do you have a credible link to this claim?

 

Thomas and his sugar daddy only became besties after Thomas was nominated. Follow the money.

 

Not sure if this is credible:

https://www.caclubindia.com/wealth/ginni-thomas-net-worth/

 

You mean voters?

 

What I understand is fantastical conspiracy theories and wild generalizations do not address Clarence's unethical behavior.

 

See post # 1.

 

Thank you for your reply.

Hmmm. Something seems amiss. The following links say otherwise, and they all seem to peg her net worth well under $5 million. I came across nothing that was over $5 million.

Jenny Thomas Clarence Thomas Wife Net Worth, Heritage Foundation Insurrection Age And Son (showbizcorner.com)
Clarence Thomas net worth, wife Virginia Thomas net worth (hollywoodsmagazine.com)
Jenny Thomas Clarence Thomas Wife Net Worth, Heritage Foundation Insurrection Age And Son (showbizcorner.com)
Virginia Lamp Thomas Net Worth 2023: Money, Salary, Bio - CelebsMoney
Virginia Thomas Bio, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, and Lifespring (meforworld.com)
Fame | Virginia Thomas net worth and salary income estimation Apr, 2023 | People Ai
Virginia Thomas Biography, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Family (celebsagewiki.com)


I would think the above is enough to dispel the notion. I would have to say, if the caclubindia link were correct, I would be left to wonder why the left's outrage is directed at free joint vacations with wealthy friends, as opposed to that supposed stratospheric rise in net worth. I would happily bet my house that the caclubindia link is incorrect. I would have to believe if it were true that this would be covered ad nauseam on MSNBC and the like.

I also see that same link on the same page says that Dan Bongino has a net worth of $65 million. Without looking it up, I am a little skeptical of that claim as well.

 

A conservative presenting the appearance of corruption. Something you folks stopped caring about unless you're making unsubstantiated claims about Hunter and his dad.

 

What about Jackson's failure to recuse herself? Let me guess. You didn't even know. Did you?

 

Your source?

What to know about the Justice Clarence Thomas recusal debate around his wife’s texts
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/29/politics/clarence-ginni-thomas-election-reversal-texts/index.html

 

You are probably correct, most of those net worth links are probably B$. I didn't know anything about this, until someone else in this thread posted the $80 million net worth figure, so I did a quick google. As to Clarence Thomas, I read $600,000 net worth. I'd say that's almost impossible to have that little, after being a SC justice for decades. Heck, I have a lot more than that.

 

Yeah, you're correct. That would apply to presidents and congress but not to supreme court or federal judges. Still wouldn't an oversight ethics board be good for presidents and congress? They would have no power other than expose -- the same power your SC board would have.

 

I've never heard of caclubindia and after reviewing their website I'd be very hesitant to trust it. I'd like to see verification.

 

duplicate

 

Have you verified the claims?

 

Congress was already given the power to impeach, even over the other branches, in the, you know, Constitution.

 

LOL-- Soros is being accused of having ridiculous intentions, just for making political donations, including those which helped current DA Alvin Bragg-- or do you just not keep up with what your fellow Righties are saying? There is no way in f'ing hell, any Left wing Justice could be "friends" with Soros, accepting expensive vacations from him, and not have that generate a lot more than a look askance, from the Right.