A recent report by ProPublica has shed light on the private collection of Harlan Crow, billionaire businessman and close friend to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The collection is said to include Nazi memorabilia, paintings by Adolf Hitler, as well as trips on private planes and yachts. This revelation has led to further scrutiny of Justice Thomas' objectivity and ethical conduct.
In 2015, Senator Marco Rubio attended a fundraiser at Crow’s house which sparked an uproar when he mentioned the controversial items in the collection. Apart from Nazi artifacts, Harlan Crow also owns documents signed by Christopher Columbus and George Washington; valuable artwork by Renoir and Monet; statues honoring two of his personal heroes: Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher.
Critics argue that Justice Thomas has broken long-standing norms for judges’ conduct due to his relationship with Mr.Crow. Several ethics experts along with four current or retired federal judges have raised questions about their friendship.
Justice Clarence Thomas denies discussing any court matters or seeking influence through his connection with Harlan Crow or Ginni Thomas (Crow's wife), who is known for her far-right activism. Despite these claims, Democrats have promised investigations into this matter while New York Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez threatened introducing articles of impeachment against him.
Claiming that "personal hospitality" falls outside federal disclosure rules' purview per advice received earlier in his career - JusticeThomas asserted no wrongdoing regarding undisclosed gifts from Mr.Crow such as a portrait worth $15k created by Montreal-based illustrator Sharif Tarabay among others like Frederick Douglass's Bible valued at around $19k. He went on record stating that he intends following Judicial Conference guidance concerning future disclosures including excursions involving resorts & hunting lodges alongside reporting travel via private aircrafts if they were ever repeated instances similar scenarios arise.
Harlan Crow's controversial collection, including Nazi memorabilia and statues of infamous 20th-century leaders, has drawn considerable attention. Mr.Crow maintains that he keeps these items because he despises both communism and fascism.
With a report by ProPublica unveiling Clarence Thomas' undisclosed trips funded by Harlan Crow spanning over two decades; JusticeThomas promises adherence to the recently updated guidelines issued by the Judicial Conference of the United States mandating reporting for any travel involving private aircraft or destinations such as resorts & hunting lodges going forward