Notes reviewed by the Senate committee showed that while Thomas made at least one interest payment on the loan, he “failed to repay the entire principal” of the loan used to buy an RV.
Topline
A Senate Finance Committee investigation found that a loan Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas received from a friend to buy a $267,230 RV went largely unpaid—prompting more questions about whether the justice properly reported the loan forgiveness in his tax filings.Key Facts
The Senate committee found that Thomas made some interest payments on the loan from businessman Anthony Welters that was given in 1999, but didn’t repay “a substantial portion of the loan” that was used to purchase a luxury RV.
Thomas did not report the $267,230 in debt forgiven on his ethics forms, according to the investigation, which raised the question of whether he reported it on his tax returns and paid taxes owed, which the committee is still seeking to answer.
The Senate investigation was spurred by a New York Times report in August that revealed Thomas bought the RV with money from Welters, even though he reportedly told friends he had saved up to be able to afford the vehicle.
Welters told the Times the loan was “satisfied” in 2008, but no information about the terms of the loan or how the debt was satisfied were provided, according to the Senate report.
