Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon has called for Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from any case related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol or any dispute involving former President Donald Trump in a reelection bid.
The statement came after news broke that the justice’s wife was at the Jan. 6 rally, and The Washington Post reported she had exchanged texts with the White House chief of staff about overturning the 2020 election.
“Justice Thomas participated in cases related to Donald Trump’s efforts to rig and then overturn the 2020 election, while his wife was pushing to do the same. He was the lone dissent in a case that could have denied the January 6th Committee records pertaining to the same plot his wife supported,” Mr. Wyden said in a press release Friday.
“At the bare minimum, Justice Thomas needs to recuse himself from any case related to the January 6th investigation, and should Donald Trump run again, any case related to the 2024 election,” he added.
The liberal group, MoveOn.org, has launched a petition calling for Justice Thomas to resign.
The justice’s wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, said she left the Jan. 6 rally before Mr. Trump took the stage — and before any violence at the Capitol.
“I was disappointed and frustrated that there was violence that happened following a peaceful gathering of Trump supporters on the Ellipse on Jan. 6,” she told the Washington Free Beacon. “There are important and legitimate substantive questions about achieving goals like electoral integrity, racial equality, and political accountability that a democratic system like ours needs to be able to discuss and debate rationally in the political square. I fear we are losing that ability.”
Mr. Trump told supporters that day to “fight like hell” as he contested the certification of President Biden’s win in the November 2020 election. Later, his supporters stormed the Capitol as lawmakers inside were trying to certify the Electoral College vote.
Mrs. Thomas sat down with the Free Beacon to try and clear things up after new outlets insinuated that she played a behind-the-scenes role in the Jan. 6 attack, citing communications among her broader network of political contacts.
“I played no role with those who were planning and leading the Jan. 6 events,” she said. “There are stories in the press suggesting I paid or arranged for buses. I did not. There are other stories saying I mediated feuding factions of leaders for that day. I did not.”
Mrs. Thomas also rejected suggestions that her work in political circles compromises her husband’s ability to be an impartial jurist on the high court.
“Like so many married couples, we share many of the same ideals, principles, and aspirations for America,” she said. “But we have our own separate careers, and our own ideas and opinions too. Clarence doesn’t discuss his work with me, and I don’t involve him in my work.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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