Properly, this scandal simply took a brilliant darkish flip!
OK, so we don’t normally cowl the Supreme Court docket — however let’s be trustworthy, each now and again they sink so low it’s in our courtroom. This looks like a kind of instances. To recap: a bombshell article in ProPublica late final week confirmed how Justice Clarence Thomas had been on the receiving finish of a heck of a whole lot of generosity from a Republican megadonor. Let’s get into it…
Too Shut & Not Disclosed
The outlet reported that billionaire Harlan Crow has been treating Clarence and his spouse Ginni Thomas to luxurious holidays over time with out ever disclosing them. Nominally, these are holidays along with Crow as associates — however it’s all the time on Crow’s dime. And by dime, we imply MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. You realize that second on the The Worth Is Proper the place the contestants have to determine how a lot the prize trip is price, all in? Properly, ProPublica did the maths, and simply considered one of these journeys, in 2019, would have value about $500,000. And these have been occurring for 20 years now! Journeys world wide on a superyacht, to Crow’s personal resort within the Adirondacks, to an all-male retreat in California referred to as the Bohemian Grove. Who is aware of what number of thousands and thousands Thomas has been gifted over time?
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Now, Thomas makes excellent cash as a Supreme Court docket Justice — $285k a 12 months. However there’s no manner he might afford any of this! That is billionaire stuff. And it isn’t simply journeys. In 2011 Politico reported Crow donated a half million bucks to a Tea Occasion group created by Ginni Thomas — via that group she paid herself a wage of $120k a 12 months. So to say she, at the very least, is in Crow’s pocket is simply talking plainly.
Weak Protection For A Decide…
How does Justice Thomas reply? Properly, he admits all the info are right — he simply doesn’t suppose there’s something untoward about it. He stated in an official assertion he’s by no means disclosed any of those generosities as a result of he didn’t suppose he needed to:
“Early in my tenure on the Court docket, I sought steering from my colleagues and others within the judiciary, and was suggested that this form of private hospitality from shut private associates, who didn’t have enterprise earlier than the Court docket, was not reportable. I’ve endeavored to observe that counsel all through my tenure, and have all the time sought to adjust to the disclosure tips.”
ProPublica spoke to a number of consultants who disagreed — this will likely even have violated a regulation handed within the aftermath of Watergate. However it’s truly so much less complicated than all that. It’s the very best courtroom within the land, and the rule relating to battle of curiosity is there can’t even be the looks of corruption, not even a whiff of impropriety. And also you don’t should be an skilled to see that somebody giving a Justice thousands and thousands in worth below the desk has greater than a whiff. We imply, these two didn’t grow to be “associates” till after Thomas was in his present place. And on the very least, by sidling as much as the person and taking him on all these holidays, he’s at the very least bought the prospect to voice his opinions on to a Supreme Court docket Justice, which is a hell of much more than any poor particular person will get. It’s fairly clearly sketchy. Particularly coming from a donor with some very, let’s say, particular political beliefs…
Who Is Crow, Actually?
Crow has donated at the very least $10 million in precise honest-to-goodness, on-the-books donations to Republicans over time. That isn’t counting yacht excursions of the South Pacific. He’s donated to everybody from Mitch McConnell to Lindsey Graham, from Chuck Grassley to John Kennedy. Heck, he even donated hundreds to former Democrat Krysten Sinema.
However it seems he’s not simply an anti-tax billionaire. He’s additionally a giant historical past aficionado.
Based on a brand new report in The Washingtonian over the weekend — citing an article from again in 2014 wherein a Dallas Morning Information reporter visited his Texas property, in addition to an nameless partygoer who reportedly noticed all of this in particular person and even offered pictures which you’ll be able to see HERE — Crow has fairly a set, together with:
- a backyard filled with statues of dictators, ones which he’d collected after they’d been toppled — together with Lenin, Stalin, Nicolae Ceausescu, and Josip Broz Tito
- a bevy of Nazi memorabilia, together with medals, patches, Hitler stamps, and embroidered linen napkins (a photograph of which was taken whereas they have been on show with at a cocktail party — it’s unclear in the event that they have been getting used)
- two of Hitler’s very personal authentic work — for those who didn’t know he was one thing of a failed artist earlier than stepping into the genocide sport
- a duplicate of Hitler’s autobiography Mein Kampf, signed by the writer himself
Bear in mind, this isn’t a public museum, that is the person’s dwelling. These things is in the home the place he lives! After the article got here out, a tech researcher named Danah Boyd corroborated the nameless supply’s declare, saying she too went to the home as a part of “a gathering about the way forward for democracy.” She wrote on Twitter:
“Certainly Crow’s home had statues of fallen dictators. I used to be advised that every one this stuff have been conflict trophies to commemorate how the “good guys” received. However no museum curator I do know would glorify such artifacts that manner. Hitler’s portray was signed and simply hanging on the wall as artwork.”
She stated she left instantly after seeing the Nazi swag — and when she introduced it as much as others who have been on the assembly, her issues have been handled “coldly and defensively” and that she “felt gaslit” and “didn’t attend the subsequent assembly of the group.” She added:
“Years later, I nonetheless shudder fascinated with the Nazi uniform decorations in Harlan Crow’s home. And the portray. And the guide. And the statues. And the “antebellum” (professional slavery) artifacts. I’m glad others are questioning the acceptability of these supplies.”
Years in the past, I attended a gathering about the way forward for democracy at Harlan Crow’s “home” (which was staged as a museum). I left deeply shaken by the Nazi memorabilia on show. Apparently I wasn’t alone. https://t.co/AnoLUyaS5I 1/5
— danah boyd (@zephoria) April 8, 2023
Who would gather Nazi treasures like this and lovingly show them in their very own dwelling? Properly, Nazis for one… Hmm. We’re drawing a clean after that…
Falling At Crow’s Ft
There have been fairly a couple of conservative pundits who’ve come out in protection of Crow on social media the previous couple days — most of whom, it was fairly instantly identified, had obtained some vital monetary profit from the billionaire. However let’s check out the most typical protection we’ve been seeing, that that is only a scholar of historical past who has Nazi memorabilia and dictator statues amongst his assortment.
Properly, let’s speak concerning the backyard first. Crow himself stated the backyard is a “historic nod to the info of man’s inhumanity to man”. There’s a distinction between remembering and honoring. This “Backyard of Evil” definitely appears to us to be extra in awe of those historic monsters than worry of them. We imply, this man hates communism and fascism a lot he’s spent a small fortune to always take a look at these guys when he’s going for a peaceable stroll? Or for that matter when he’s sitting right down to dinner?
We imply, critically, the napkins. And the work! Like, it’s one factor to be enthusiastic about serial killers and have numerous books and perhaps blu-rays of documentaries about them. It’s one other to personal an authentic John Wayne Gacy portray — one thing that you simply paid hundreds of {dollars} for. That crosses over from curiosity to… obsession perhaps? Crow apparently additionally has work by George W. Bush, in addition to historic gadgets from different eras. However there’s a LOT of WWII stuff, and the Nazi stuff is fairly disturbing. The supply who shared pictures from inside the house advised The Washingtonian the go to was nice sufficient — clearly nobody fell in a trapdoor and was mauled by a crocodile, regardless of it trying like a Bond villain’s manor. Nonetheless, regardless of the opposite historic artifacts, even somebody who was invited and had a pleasant time “nonetheless can’t recover from the gathering of Nazi memorabilia.”
The signed Mein Kampf is sort of the crown jewel of disturbing historic memorabilia. It’s not like you might have that so as to research what Hitler was as much as, such as you simply wish to know your enemy. Any copy of the guide would try this. An autographed one? Sorry, individuals get autographs of individuals they’re followers of, it’s one thing they treasure. It simply is. It’s WAY creepy.
And admittedly we’re previous the times of wealthy weirdos idolizing Hitler feeling like nothing greater than cartoonish straw males, the pulpy villains of unhealthy motion motion pictures. Not when we’ve got extremely rated pundits on 24-hour information networks spreading xenophobic and white supremacist speaking factors each night time. Not when freakin’ Kanye West is happening radio reveals saying he likes a whole lot of what Hitler needed to say. Give it some thought, y’all — somebody advised him that. The man who wrote Gold Digger didn’t come to that conclusion on his personal. Purple drugs aren’t thrown from a distance, they’re slipped into scrumptious dinners and cocktails shared amongst associates.
We’re positive we’ll by no means be capable to say with certainty that Crow collects these items as a result of he simply loves him some Nazis. However it’s fairly honest to say most people who hate Nazis would not wish to take a look at it, wouldn’t wish to hold it cleaned and posed and displayed of their dwelling.
And that is the man who’s within the ear and within the pockets of considered one of solely 9 members of the very best courtroom within the land. Scary stuff.
[Image via Pepperdine/YouTube.]
