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Clarence Thomas accepted a free yacht trip to Russia and was taken on a complimentary helicopter ride to Putin’s hometown, 2 Democratic senators say
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Democratic senators have accused Justice Clarence Thomas of accepting undisclosed gifts and travel.
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He reportedly accepted gifts such as a yacht trip and a helicopter ride to St. Petersburg, put onhometown of.
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Senators seek investigation into possible tax fraud and financial ties between Thomas and Crow.
Two Democratic senators have accused Associate Justice Clarence Thomas of accepting free trips to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hometown.
Senator. Sheldon White House of Rhode Island and Senator. Ron Wyden from Oregon submitted a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on July 3, calling for an investigation into the Supreme Court justice.
The letter highlighted the “serious possibility of tax fraud” and accused Thomas of having “secretly accepted gifts and income potentially worth millions of dollars.”
O appendix to the letterwhich lists 35 undisclosed gifts, shows a “yacht trip to Russia and the Baltics” and a “helicopter ride to the Yusupov Palace, St. Petersburg”, both listed in the year 2003.
St. Petersburg is Putin’s birthplace and where he grew up. The president currently resides in Moscow.
The appendix list is titled “Probable Gifts and Undisclosed Income of Harlan the 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 May 2023 detailing Thomas’ hidden financial ties to Crow.
The report states that in addition to the Russia trip, Crow also financed Thomas great-nephew Mark Martin boarding school fees, which cost “more than $6,000 a month.”
In the letter, the senators wrote that Crow’s other gifts included “multiple free private jet trips, yacht trips and lodging,” as well as “tuition gifts to Justice Thomas’s great-nephew,” “real estate transactions,” “home renovations” and “free rent to Justice Thomas’s mother.”
In September 2023, Thomas acknowledged that he had accepted three trips on a private plane owned by Crow. He did not mention any other gifts.
Whitehouse and Wyden aren’t the only Democrats who have expressed concerns about Thomas’s dubious financial ties.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez of New York presented articles of impeachment against Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday.
“Justices Thomas and Alito’s repeated failure over decades to disclose that they have received millions of dollars in gifts from individuals with business dealings before the court is explicitly against the law,” she said. declaration to read.
Representatives for Thomas, Whitehouse, Wyden and Crow did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s requests for comment sent outside of normal business hours.
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