Thomas failed to disclose more private jet travel, Sen. Wyden says
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Clarence Thomas at the Supreme Court in Oct. 2022. Photo: Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose flights between Hawaii and New Zealand that he took on Republican megadonor Harlan Crow's private jet, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden said Monday.
Why it matters: Thomas came under fire last year after several investigations revealed the close ties between him and Crow — including that he'd failed to report luxury trips taken on Crow's dime — that spurred greater scrutiny of Supreme Court justices' financial practices.
- Other reports showed that Crow had made private school tuition payments for Thomas' grandnephew, and that Thomas didn't properly disclose that he had sold property to Crow.
- Other justices, including Justices Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito, have also faced questions about their disclosures.
- The ethics scandals helped fuel a new Congressional push to implement an ethics code for justices.
State of play: While Thomas has officially disclosed some of the previously unreported trips, neither man has "disclosed the full scale" of Thomas' use of Crow's private jet and yacht, Wyden wrote in a letter to Crow's lawyer Monday.
- International flight records reveal that in 2010, Thomas and his wife, Ginni Thomas, took an undisclosed round trip from Hawaii to New Zealand aboard Crow's private jet, Wyden wrote.
- Wyden added that Crow has failed to address the "simple question" of whether he claimed tax deductions as a result of these trips, noting that passing off "trips involving personal hospitality as business expenses is a run of the mill tax scam."
- In June, the Senate Judiciary Committee said it had discovered additional undisclosed private jet flights that Thomas had taken aboard Crow's jet.
The big picture: "I am deeply concerned that Mr. Crow may have been showering a public official with extravagant gifts, then writing off those gifts to lower his tax bill," Wyden wrote.
- Wyden asked Crow's lawyer to provide answers to a series of financial questions, as well as questions regarding the ties between Crow and Thomas, by Aug. 26.
- Crow's office said in a statement Monday that Crow has "always followed applicable tax law."
- Crow's attorneys have "already addressed Senator Wyden's inquiries, which have no legal basis and are only intended to harass a private citizen," the statement added.
- The Supreme Court did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.
Zoom out: President Biden unveiled a sweeping plan last month for reforming the Supreme Court, including introducing term limits and an ethics code.
- The reforms would "restore trust and accountability to the court," Biden argued in a Washington Post op-ed.
Go deeper: Thomas breaks silence as criticism swirls over lavish donor-funded trips
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from Harlan Crow's attorneys.
