On April 6, a bombshell report by ProPublica found that Thomas had been accepting lavish trips paid for by GOP megadonor Harlan Crow for over 20 years, prompting critics to call for an ethics investigation.
LM Otero, File/AP
The billionaire Republican donor fronted the bill for luxury cruises, private jet flights, and even stays at his private resort for the Supreme Court justice.
Despite the trips that Thomas accepted costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, the nature of which is unprecedented in the modern history of the Supreme Court, the trips did not appear anywhere in Thomas’ financial disclosures, according to the report.
However, after the ProPublica published their reports, Thomas’ 2022 financial disclosure form included Crow’s contributions. The disclosure, which was released on August 31, 2023, say that the GOP megadonor paid for Thomas’ travel expenses on at least three occasions last year.
Thomas, for his part, has defended his relationship with Crow. In an interview with the Dallas Morning News from April 2023, Thomas said, “You know, it’s possible that people are just really friends.”
Source: ProPublica
