Clarence Thomas, an associate justice of the US Supreme Court has acknowledged&nbsp;more travel paid by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow.

Justice Thomas had faced criticism for failing to report&nbsp;luxury trips paid for by Crow and others over many years.

In his&nbsp;annual financial disclosure on Friday (June 7), Thomas, 75, said that in 2019,&nbsp;Crow paid for a hotel room in Bali, Indonesia, for a single night, and food and lodging at a private club in Sonoma County, California.&nbsp;He did not report any travel paid by others last year.

The disclosure on Indonesia is curious for what it omits: the rest of the trip, the Associated Press reported.

In April 2023, investigative journalism outlet ProPublica said that Thomas&nbsp;flew to Indonesia on Crow’s private jet and then boarded his superyacht for an islands tour, one of many trips the Republican megadonor&nbsp;has given to Thomas and his wife, Ginni, over the years.

<h2>Thomas sold mother's house to Crow</h2>

Following ProPublica's report, Thomas released a statement acknowledging travel with Crow. However, the top lawyer said that Crow did not have business before the court.&nbsp;The 75-year-old previously said he had been advised that he did not have to report “this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends”.

ProPublica had also reported that Thomas sold his mother's house in Savannah to Crow. Meanwhile, a report by Politico said that&nbsp;Thomas disclosed that Ginni&nbsp;received income from consulting she did on behalf of various conservative organisations.

<h2>Thomas accepted gifts worth millions</h2>

On Thursday, the judicial reform group Fix the Court said that Thomas&nbsp;accepted millions of dollars&nbsp;worth of gifts over the past two decades on the bench,&nbsp;a total nearly 10 times the value of all gifts received by his fellow justices during the same time.

Between 2004 and 2023, Thomas received&nbsp;103 gifts with a total value of more than $2.4 million.

Fix the Court said that over the same period, his&nbsp;fellow justices accepted a total&nbsp;of just 93 gifts worth a combined value of only about $248,000.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Clarence Thomas, an associate justice of the US Supreme Court has acknowledged more travel paid by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow. Justice Thomas had faced criticism for failing to report luxury trips paid for by Crow and others over many years.

Clarence Thomas, an associate justice of the US Supreme Court has acknowledged more travel paid by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow. Justice Thomas had faced criticism for failing to report luxury trips paid for by Crow and others over many years. In his annual financial disclosure on Friday (June 7), Thomas, 75, said that in 2019, Crow paid for a hotel room in Bali, Indonesia, for a single night, and food and lodging at a private club in Sonoma County, California. He did not report any travel paid by others last year. The disclosure on Indonesia is curious for what it omits: the rest of the trip, the Associated Press reported. In April 2023, investigative journalism outlet ProPublica said that Thomas flew to Indonesia on Crow’s private jet and then boarded his superyacht for an islands tour, one of many trips the Republican megadonor has given to Thomas and his wife, Ginni, over the years. Thomas sold mother's house to Crow Following ProPublica's report, Thomas released a statement acknowledging travel with Crow. However, the top lawyer said that Crow did not have business before the court. The 75-year-old previously said he had been advised that he did not have to report “this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends”. ProPublica had also reported that Thomas sold his mother's house in Savannah to Crow. Meanwhile, a report by Politico said that Thomas disclosed that Ginni received income from consulting she did on behalf of various conservative organisations. Thomas accepted gifts worth millions On Thursday, the judicial reform group Fix the Court said that Thomas accepted millions of dollars worth of gifts over the past two decades on the bench, a total nearly 10 times the value of all gifts received by his fellow justices during the same time. Between 2004 and 2023, Thomas received 103 gifts with a total value of more than $2.4 million. Fix the Court said that over the same period, his fellow justices accepted a total of just 93 gifts worth a combined value of only about $248,000. (With inputs from agencies)

US judge Clarence Thomas acknowledges more travel paid for by Republican megadonor

Clarence Thomas is the associate judge of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) since 1991 and the second African American to serve on the court. According to a new ProPublica report, Thomas has secretly enjoyed luxury gifts and hospitality from his wealthy friends in the last three decades.

Clarence Thomas is the associate judge of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) since 1991 and the second African American to serve on the court. According to a new ProPublica report, Thomas has secretly enjoyed luxury gifts and hospitality from his wealthy friends in the last three decades. During his tenure on the Supreme Court, Justice Clarence Thomas accepted gifts, including at least 38 destination vacations, 26 private jet flights, VIP sports passes, helicopter flights, private resort stays and a "standing invitation" for a private golf club. ProPublica said in its investigation that these expensive trips and luxury travel perks went unreported on the justice's financial disclosure form. Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow & Other Billionaires Thomas was already under intense scrutiny for presents he received from Harlan Crow, a wealthy real estate developer and Republican Party donor. Crow reportedly treated Thomas and his wife to luxurious vacations, paid the tuition fee of his family member, and purchased properties partly owned by him. "A public servant with a salary of $285,000, he has vacationed on Crow's superyacht around the globe," the ProPublica report said. Justice Clarence Thomas released a statement in April defending his friendship with Crow. He wrote, "As friends do, we have joined them on several family trips during the more than quarter century we have known them." ALSO READ | US Supreme Court halts Purdue’s $6 billion opioid settlement pending review The recent investigation unravels a series of presents Thomas received from Crow and three other billionaires, David Sokol, the late H Wayne Huizenga and Paul 'Tony' Novelly. All of them happen to be contributors to Republican causes. However, Sokol told ProPublica he and Thomas "have never discussed any pending court matter. Our conversations have always revolved around helping young people, sports and family matters." He also commented on Thomas' use of private aviation and said, "I believe that given security concerns, the supreme court judges should fly privately or on governmental aircraft." There have been accusations of Supreme Court justices violating ethical rules by accepting gifts. However, ProPublica's reports reveal that Justice Thomas has operated with a different set of 'ethical' standards than other federal judges in lower courts. Clarence Thomas hasn't replied to ProPublica's detailed list of questions for its report. Democratic members of Congress have revived their demands for the resignation of Justice Clarence Thomas. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Who is Clarence Thomas? US Supreme Court justice accused of not disclosing gifts received from billionaires

US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was accepting luxury travel trips offered by a billionaire Republican for years, as per a report published on Thursday. The gifts included private jet flights across countries and yachting in New Zealand.

Court's longest-serving justice and a staunch conservative, Thomas went on one vacation to Indonesia that alone cost around $500,000, which was paid by real estate tycoon Harlan Crow, revealed a report by ProPublica, a&nbsp;non-profit news outlet.

The investigation of ProPublica was based on reviews of photographs, interviews and other documents, and the&nbsp;legal reform action group Fix the Court after seeing the details said that "the Supreme Court is the least accountable part of our government."

"Nothing is going to change without a wholesale, lawmaker-led reimagining of its responsibilities when it comes to basic measures of oversight," said the group's director Gabe Roth, in a statement.

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-supreme-court-conservatives-cast-doubt-over-biden-student-loan-plan-567107">US Supreme Court conservatives cast doubt over Biden student loan plan</a>

The 74-year-old judge also accompanied Crow, whose relation with the justice was called "unusual and ethically sensitive" by the New York Times in 2011, for a vacation to an all-male wilderness resort located in California and to properties in New York and Texas in the last two decades.

Speaking to ProPublica, Crow said that the gifts he gave to Thomas were "no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dear friends," and no pending cases were ever discussed by the two.

<h2>Thomas releases statement</h2>

After the controversy snowballed, Thomas released a statement explaining his failure to disclose the trips. He said Crow and his wife Kathy were 'dearest friends' and that they had joined Crow on family trips for years.&nbsp;

"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,"&nbsp;said Thomas.&nbsp;

"I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure, and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines."

<h2>Judge's behaviour inconsistent with ethical standards</h2>

ProPublica claimed that Crow gave more than $10 million to Republican political groups in donations, which included half a million dollars given to a conservative lobbying group that was founded by Ginni Thomas, wife of Thomas.

The involvement of Ginni Thomas in United States politics has attracted more scrutiny after reports suggested that she was involved in the efforts made by Donald Trump to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election's results.

In 1991, Justice Thomas was nominated for the court after he went through a confirmation process in which he faced an accusation of sexual harassment made by a former aide.

Last year, he joined the majority of judges who gave the historic ruling and overturned the national right to abortion. He also claimed that a conservative-dominated court must examine its rulings on same-sex marriage and contraception.

Responding to Thursday's report, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said that Thomas's "behaviour is simply inconsistent with the ethical standards the American people expect of any public servant, let alone a Justice on the Supreme Court."

WATCH | U.S. weapons sales to get stricter human rights review under Biden

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Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated, "I'm not going to comment from here. There are other bodies of government who should be dealing with this."

The media platform also shared a clip from a documentary in which Thomas claimed that he enjoyed driving around America's rural corners more than travelling to different nations.

"I don't have any problem with going to Europe, but I prefer the United States. I prefer the Walmart parking lots to the beaches and things like that. I'd come from regular stock and I prefer that,” he was heard saying in the clip.

(With inputs from agencies)

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US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was accepting luxury travel trips offered by a billionaire Republican for years, as per a report published on Thursday. The gifts included private jet flights across countries and yachting in New Zealand.

US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was accepting luxury travel trips offered by a billionaire Republican for years, as per a report published on Thursday. The gifts included private jet flights across countries and yachting in New Zealand. Court's longest-serving justice and a staunch conservative, Thomas went on one vacation to Indonesia that alone cost around $500,000, which was paid by real estate tycoon Harlan Crow, revealed a report by ProPublica, a non-profit news outlet. The investigation of ProPublica was based on reviews of photographs, interviews and other documents, and the legal reform action group Fix the Court after seeing the details said that "the Supreme Court is the least accountable part of our government." "Nothing is going to change without a wholesale, lawmaker-led reimagining of its responsibilities when it comes to basic measures of oversight," said the group's director Gabe Roth, in a statement. ALSO READ | US Supreme Court conservatives cast doubt over Biden student loan plan The 74-year-old judge also accompanied Crow, whose relation with the justice was called "unusual and ethically sensitive" by the New York Times in 2011, for a vacation to an all-male wilderness resort located in California and to properties in New York and Texas in the last two decades. Speaking to ProPublica, Crow said that the gifts he gave to Thomas were "no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dear friends," and no pending cases were ever discussed by the two. Thomas releases statement After the controversy snowballed, Thomas released a statement explaining his failure to disclose the trips. He said Crow and his wife Kathy were 'dearest friends' and that they had joined Crow on family trips for years. "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," said Thomas. "I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure, and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines." Judge's behaviour inconsistent with ethical standards ProPublica claimed that Crow gave more than $10 million to Republican political groups in donations, which included half a million dollars given to a conservative lobbying group that was founded by Ginni Thomas, wife of Thomas. The involvement of Ginni Thomas in United States politics has attracted more scrutiny after reports suggested that she was involved in the efforts made by Donald Trump to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election's results. In 1991, Justice Thomas was nominated for the court after he went through a confirmation process in which he faced an accusation of sexual harassment made by a former aide. Last year, he joined the majority of judges who gave the historic ruling and overturned the national right to abortion. He also claimed that a conservative-dominated court must examine its rulings on same-sex marriage and contraception. Responding to Thursday's report, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said that Thomas's "behaviour is simply inconsistent with the ethical standards the American people expect of any public servant, let alone a Justice on the Supreme Court." WATCH | U.S. weapons sales to get stricter human rights review under Biden Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated, "I'm not going to comment from here. There are other bodies of government who should be dealing with this." The media platform also shared a clip from a documentary in which Thomas claimed that he enjoyed driving around America's rural corners more than travelling to different nations. "I don't have any problem with going to Europe, but I prefer the United States. I prefer the Walmart parking lots to the beaches and things like that. I'd come from regular stock and I prefer that,” he was heard saying in the clip. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

US judge Clarence Thomas accepted luxury travel trips from billionaire Republican: Report

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US judge Clarence Thomas acknowledges more travel paid for by Republican megadonor

Who is Clarence Thomas? US Supreme Court justice accused of not disclosing gifts received from billionaires

US judge Clarence Thomas accepted luxury travel trips from billionaire Republican: Report