Justice Clarence Thomas failed to publicly disclose additional private travel provided by the wealthy conservative donor Harlan Crow, a top Democratic senator said in a letter published by The New York Times.
Customs and Border Protection records revealed that the
justice and his wife, Virginia Thomas, took a round trip between Hawaii and New
Zealand in November 2010 on Mr. Crow’s private jet, according to the letter.
Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, writing to Mr. Crow’s lawyer, demanded
that he supply more information about the financial relationship between the
two men.
The letter, part of an inquiry that Mr. Wyden, the chairman
of the Senate Finance Committee, has opened into Mr. Crow and the justice,
comes as top Democrats have urged
major changes to the Supreme Court, including an enforceable code of
conduct.
Mr. Wyden said the latest revelation had only increased his
misgivings about the relationship between the justice and Mr. Crow, a real
estate magnate. “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,” Mr. Wyden wrote.
Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, wrote a letter to
Harlan Crow asking for details about private travel with Justice Clarence
Thomas.
Justice Thomas did not immediately respond to a request for
comment on Monday.
A spokesman for Mr. Crow, Michael Zona, said that his
lawyers had “already addressed Senator Wyden’s inquiries, which have no legal
basis and are only intended to harass a private citizen.” It accused Mr. Wyden
of a politically motivated effort to undermine the Supreme Court.
The statement added that Mr. Crow had “always followed
applicable tax law.”
“We consider this matter settled and refer Senator Wyden to
our previous correspondence,” the statement read.
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