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The Democratic chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee vowed his panel will take action after a report published Thursday alleged Justice Clarence Thomas accepted millions from a GOP donor in luxury travel experiences.
Sen. Richard Durbin, Illinois Democrat, said the report in ProPublica showcases the need for a code of conduct for the Supreme Court justices.
“The highest court in the land shouldn’t have the lowest ethical standards,” Mr. Durbin said.
The ProPublica article details travel by Justice Thomas and his wife with Harlan Crow, a GOP megadonor and real estate mogul, on the businessman’s private yacht and jet to places like Indonesia. That trip, ProPublica claims, would have cost $500,000.
“Today’s Pro Publica report reveals that Justice Thomas has for years accepted luxury travel on private yachts and jets and a litany of other gifts that he failed to disclose. This behavior is simply inconsistent with the ethical standards the American people expect of any public servant, let alone a justice on the Supreme Court,” Mr. Durbin said. The report, he said, demonstrates, “that Supreme Court justices must be held to an enforceable code of conduct, just like every other federal judge. The Pro Publica report is a call to action, and the Senate Judiciary Committee will act.
