Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York says Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should be taken off the bench following an investigative report that found the justice accepted millions of dollars worth of luxury trips from a GOP donor.
ProPublica published an article Thursday detailing trips that Justice Thomas and his wife took with Harlan Crow, a GOP megadonor and real estate businessman. One trip to Indonesia on a private jet and yacht would have cost $500,000, the report said.
The report said the justice did not disclose the travel expenses, raising calls for tighter ethics rules on the high court so the justices aren’t influenced by outside parties.
“This is beyond party or partisanship. This degree of corruption is shocking — almost cartoonish. Thomas must be impeached,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat and champion for the progressive left, said on Twitter.
Mr. Crow told ProPublica that he’s been friends with the Thomases for years and extends “hospitality” — “no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dear friends.”
That’s not satisfying high-ranking Democrats such as Senate Judiciary Committee Sen. Richard J. Durbin, who said Congress must impose a tighter code of conduct on the Supreme Court.
SEE ALSO: Liberals renew calls for Clarence Thomas’ resignation over luxury travel with GOP donor
A spokesperson from the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez used the occasion to criticize the conservative majority on the court, which was rocked last year by the unusual leak of a draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade and the nationwide right to abortion.
“Barring some dramatic change, this is what the Roberts court will be known for: rank corruption, erosion of democracy, and the stripping of human rights,” the congresswoman tweeted.
• Alex Swoyer contributed to this story.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.