Pence condemns ‘appalling’ attacks on ‘principled jurist’ Clarence Thomas
Emily Jacobs
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Former Vice President Mike Pence decried what he called “malicious” attacks against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as he faces increased scrutiny over his relationship with a billionaire GOP megadonor.
Pence wrote a Twitter thread on Saturday vowing to stand behind the embattled associate justice amid a flurry of criticism over reports that Harlan Crow, the donor in question, covered the costs of luxury vacations and purchased property from Thomas’s family. He also paid the private school tuition for the justice’s grandnephew, who Thomas once said he raised “as a son.” Thomas didn’t disclose any of these payments, purchases, or trips.
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“Ever since his nomination to the Supreme Court in 1991 Justice Thomas has been maliciously attacked by the Left, including by then Sen. Joe Biden,” Pence said. “The attacks on his character are continuing today, and it’s appalling to see. I stand with Justice Clarence Thomas and call on every American to join me in defending this good man and principled jurist.”
The former vice president went on to defend the Supreme Court justice as “a man of integrity with an inspiring personal story and has upheld the ideals enshrined in our Constitution throughout his life without compromise.” He also included a link to My Grandfather’s Son, Thomas’s 2007 bestselling memoir.
Lawmakers have largely stuck to party lines on the Thomas controversy, with Democrats up in arms over the undisclosed transactions and Republicans standing by the conservative justice.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL), who is known for being reserved in his criticisms of the nation’s highest court, has vowed to take some type of action on to the Thomas matter. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) who also serves on the influential panel, went as far as to call on the Justice Department to investigate Thomas over the Crow relationship.
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On the Republican side, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the Judiciary Committee’s ranking member, decried what he called “a concentrated effort by the Left to delegitimize the court and to cherry-pick examples to make a point” at the hearing. He also accused Democrats of trying to “destroy” Thomas’s reputation. Later on, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) displayed posters of news headlines about Thomas from left-wing publications and argued that these outlets had created “racist caricatures” of the justice.
Sens. Angus King (I-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced legislation last week that would implement a stricter ethics code on Supreme Court justices. Whether it could pass with a 60 vote filibuster-proof majority is unclear. As is its fate in the House.