- Democratic senators accuse Justice Clarence Thomas of accepting undisclosed gifts and trips.
- He allegedly received gifts such as sailing trips and helicopter rides to St. Petersburg, Putin’s hometown.
- The senator seeks to launch an investigation into potential tax fraud and financial ties between Thomas and Crow.
Two Democratic senators accused Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of accepting a free trip to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hometown.
Senators Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Ron Wyden of Oregon sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on July 3, asking him to open an investigation into the SCOTUS judges.
The letter highlighted the “serious possibility of tax fraud” and accused Thomas of “secretly accepting gifts and income potentially worth millions of dollars.”
The letter’s attachments, which listed 35 undisclosed gifts, showed a “yacht trip to Russia and the Baltic states” and a “helicopter ride to the Yusupov Palace, St. Petersburg,” both listed in 2003.
St. Petersburg is Putin’s birthplace and where he grew up. The president currently lives in Moscow.
The appendix lists “Potential Undisclosed Gifts and Income from Harlan Crow and Affiliated Companies.” Harlan Crow is a real estate developer and former chairman and CEO of Trammell Crow Company.
The senators cited a ProPublica report from May 2023 that detailed Thomas’s covered-up financial ties to Crow.
The report states that in addition to the trip to Russia, Crow also paid for Thomas’ nephew Mark Martin’s boarding school tuition, which cost “more than $6,000 per month.”
In their letter, the senators wrote that other gifts from Crow included “several examples of free private jet travel, yacht trips, and lodging,” as well as “educational expenses for Judge Thomas’ grand-niece,” “real estate transactions,” “home renovations,” and “free rent for Judge Thomas’ mother.”
In September 2023, Thomas admitted that he had received three trips on Crow’s private plane. He did not mention any other gifts.
Whitehouse and Wyden aren’t the only Democrats to voice concerns over Thomas’ questionable financial ties.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez of New York filed articles of impeachment against Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday.
“Justices Thomas and Alito’s repeated failure over decades to disclose that they received millions of dollars in gifts from individuals who had business on the court is patently unlawful,” his statement said.
Representatives for Thomas, Whitehouse, Wyden and Crow did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside of regular business hours.
