Senate Majority Leader Sen. Charles E. Schumer called Tuesday for Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from any potential Jan. 6 cases, saying there should be some sort of code of ethics for Supreme Court justices.
During a press conference on Capitol Hill, the New York Democrat was asked if the justice should step down in light of his wife’s attendance of last year’s pro-Trump Jan. 6 rally on the National Mall and her texts with the former president’s allies on contesting the election.
Mr. Schumer responded that he thought Justice Thomas should recuse himself given his wife’s communications with former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows regarding the 2020 election and claims of it being stolen.
“I do think he should recuse himself. The information we know right now raises serious questions about how close Justice Thomas and his wife were to the planning and execution to the insurrection,” Mr. Schumer said.
In recent days, Democrats have called for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from any cases related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol or any possible disputes related to Mr. Trump’s potential reelection bid.
Some liberal advocacy groups have gone as far as calling for Justice Thomas’ resignation.
Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, Justice Thomas’ wife, said she left the rally before the former president spoke and prior to any violence erupting.
“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.”
There are no formal recusal requirements for Supreme Court justices, and advocacy groups for years have been pushing Congress to set some sort of standard to avoid conflicts of interest.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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