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On Friday (April 7), Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas responded to a ProPublica report that he received free trips from Republican megadonor billionaire Harlan Crow.
Thomas explained that he and his wife are close friends with Crow and his wife, Kathy, noting they regularly go on trips together. He said that he never disclosed the trips because they were personal in nature and not related to any business before the Supreme Court.
"Early in my tenure at the Court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable," Thomas said. "I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines."
Going forward, Thomas will have to list those trips on his financial disclosure form. The Judicial Conference of the United States recently updated the rules to better define what counts as a "personal hospitality" exemption.
Thomas said that he intends to follow the new guidelines and will report any future trips he takes with Harlan Crow.