Clarence and Ginni Thomas, Enough Already! 

By David Corn  April 8, 2023

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, Ginni Thomas, arrive for a state dinner at the White House in 2019. Patrick Semansky/AP

America’s favorite couple has been in the news again. He likes restricting the freedom of women, and she fancies spreading conspiracy theories that lead to insurrectionist violence. Of course, I’m referring to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his soulmate, Virginia Thomas, who everyone affectionately calls Ginni.

On Thursday, ProPublica published a bombshell story about the justice. For more than two decades, it revealed, Thomas has accepted luxury trips from real estate tycoon and GOP megadonor Harlan Crow, vacationing on Crow’s superyacht around the globe, flying on Crow’s private jet to exotic spots, traveling to Crow’s ginormous ranch in East Texas, and escaping the oppressive summer heat of Washington, DC, at Crow’s private resort in the Adirondacks. One lovely trip to a volcanic archipelago in Indonesia—on that private jet and yacht—probably would have cost Thomas $500,000, had he had to pay for it. As ProPublica points out, “The extent and frequency of Crow’s apparent gifts to Thomas have no known precedent in the modern history of the U.S. Supreme Court.” By the way, Thomas disclosed none of these trips on his financial disclosure forms—an omission that seems to violate the law. (In a statement released after the ProPublica story drew a load of attention, Thomas said he had been advised that he did not have to report the gift-trips from Crow. He also said that going forward he would follow the new and tighter disclosure rules recently adopted by the Judicial Conference of the United States.)

Allowing a billionaire with a political agenda to subsidize your high-flying lifestyle is quite a breach of trust for a Supreme Court justice. But Thomas has come under fire for other potential conflicts of interest, most notably participating in a case last year related to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election that were linked to Ginni. And these revelations cut against the image that Thomas has tried to project over the years of being your average Joe. Talking about the types of vacations he favors during an interview for a documentary on his life—a film partially funded by Crow—Thomas remarked, “I prefer the RV parks. I prefer the Walmart parking lots to the beaches and things like that. There’s something normal to me about it.” After all, every normal American who enjoys hanging out in Walmart parking lots has a billionaire pal who jets him around the world.

As for the missus, it was not even two weeks ago that the diggers at the Washington Post discovered that a “little-known conservative activist group led by” Ginni “collected nearly $600,000 in anonymous donations to wage a cultural battle against the left.” The contributions were structured so the source of the money would not have to be publicly disclosed. That is, someone slipped over half a mil to a political endeavor run by the wife of a Supreme Court justice, and the public doesn’t know who’s supplying this cash to her outfit. It’s also unknown how much of these funds, if any, end up in the Thomases’ bank account. Clarence Thomas’ financial disclosure form notes that all of Ginni’s income comes from the Liberty Consulting firm she operates, but it does not list her clients. We cannot see who is directly lining the pocket of the spouse of a Supreme Court justice.

Kind of sleazy, right? Piles of money and pricey gifts flowing to Clarence and Ginni from big-money, right-wing sources, none of it disclosed. But it isn’t surprising at this point, given the years of ethics-trampling by this DC power pair. As the Los Angeles Times noted on Friday, in 2004 it reported that Thomas had accepted expensive gifts and private plane trips from Crow and that after its story appeared, Thomas continued to accept free trips from him but stopped disclosing them. (And let’s recognize Chief Justice John Roberts for not instituting a robust ethics and transparency program at the highest court in the land.) For me, all this brought back a rush of memories. Over the past three decades, I have intermittently reported on these two, seeking to illuminate the far-right world they inhabit in which political battles are seen as do-or-die crusades.

It all began (for me) when Thomas was nominated to be a justice by President George H.W. Bush in 1991. Everyone remembers—or has heard of—the controversy sparked by Anita Hill’s allegation that Thomas had sexually harassed her when he was her boss at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. But during that nomination scuffle, I focused on something else.

I visited the northern Virginia, nondenominational church where the two worshipped. It was a center of Christian fundamentalism. The pastor preached sermons focused on spiritual warfare, and the bookstore sold cassette tapes and publications that advanced this theological notion. In short, the concept of spiritual warfare holds that just about everything that occurs in the world is a manifestation of the ongoing and titanic struggle between God and Satan. The conflicts we read about in the papers or see on cable TV—all that reflects the never-ending battle between the top dog of Christianity and Lucifer.

I had no idea whether the Thomases bought this version of Christianity. But it did get me wondering whether Thomas might possess a deep-rooted bias that would make it tough for him to be an impartial jurist. If he did believe in this idea of spiritual warfare, then he might see the advocates of positions he opposed as the tools of Satan. Suppose the ACLU brought a case to protect a woman’s right to an abortion. Would Thomas consider the group to be a foot soldier for Beelzebub? Would he see this action as the handiwork of Mephistopheles? And if he did, could he fairly consider the arguments this demonically inspired organization presented? Certainly, one can believe that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided without bringing the devil into it. But could Thomas objectively evaluate a contention put forward by a person or outfit he viewed as doing the dirty work of the Dark One?

I wrote an article at the time for the Nation, where I was then based, reporting on the church’s position regarding spiritual warfare and pondering these questions. Not many people seemed interested in this aspect of the Thomas nomination. Raising the religious beliefs of a nominee was too dicey. But an aide to Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.), who sat on the judiciary committee, was intrigued. He researched the matter to confirm what I had reported and told me that he and the senator believed such concerns were legitimate. He said Simon would ask Thomas about this during the nomination hearings. But Simon’s question time came and went without any queries about spiritual warfare. The matter did not even become a footnote in this historic confirmation fight.

In the decades since, Ginni Thomas has publicly mounted a crusade against the left with religious fervor, as a conservative activist working with assorted right-wing groups on various causes. In 2013, I broke a story that revealed the existence of Groundswell, a secretive group of prominent conservatives and right-wing journalists in Washington who had started meeting regularly that year to concoct talking points, coordinate messaging, and hatch plans for “a 30 front war seeking to fundamentally transform the nation.” This “war” covered fights with the left over immigration policy, voting laws, affirmative action, and many other matters typically adjudicated by the Supreme Court. 

Ginni was one of the leaders of this collective. The group included such right-wing notables as Steven Bannon, John Bolton, Tom Fitton, Allen West, Frank Gaffney, and Leonard Leo, who for years has orchestrated a covert, dark-money effort to push American courts, including the Supreme Court, to the right. Groundswell’s main goal was to crush the left. At one point Thomas encouraged its participants to watch a documentary that claimed progressives sought “a brave new world” based on the “failed policies and ideologies of communism” and that an evil left is purposefully “destroying the greatest country in all of world history.” Once revealed, her involvement with Groundswell revived questions about whether her political activism presented a conflict of interest for her husband—a topic that had hung over the Thomases since his confirmation hearing. But the exposure of Groundswell did not impede her involvement in numerous causes that have come before her husband on the court.

A decade after the exposure of Groundswell, the work of Ginni Thomas—she was a proponent of Trump’s Big Lie and encouraged state legislators in battleground states to overturn the 2020 election—remains a problem. And her husband’s resistance to acknowledging and addressing conflicts of interest has seemed to intensify. In an age of hyper-tribalized politics in which the Supreme Court is critical to the disposition of so many crucial and contentious issues in American society, it’s important for the justices to do all they can to ensure that the court functions fairly and is not being unduly influenced by big-money and political interests—and that the public can trust the guys and gals in robes. Yet with Roberts refusing to implement sensible ethics rules, Thomas has been a one-man wrecking ball for the court. In fact, there may not be another couple in the entire country who are doing as much to undermine faith and confidence in one of the nation’s most important institutions. Clarence and Ginni ought to give us a break. But perhaps if they did, that would be a win for Satan.

Got anything to say about this item—or anything else? Email me at ourland@motherjones.com.

The Trump Circus in NYC

On Tuesday, I was at the pathetic pro-Trump protest that occurred across the street from the Manhattan courthouse where Trump was arrested and arraigned. By now, you’ve seen the video. It was a small number of Trumpists spouting the usual nonsense about the Deep State, Trump’s persecution, and how great America was during the pandemic that killed hundreds of thousands. Oh yeah, George Soros, Hillary Clinton, Hunter Biden, and yadda yadda yadda. There appeared to be at least 20 journalists for every protester, and the highly anticipated appearances of Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and George Santos were a bust. They stayed for moments—were mobbed by reporters—and then fled.

I did file two quickie reports from the field. If you missed them, here they are:

There wasn’t much reason to dig deeply into the people who came to cheer on Trump and what they were saying. At best, there were 200 rando Trumpers, perhaps less. But one message did stand out. Check out this flag:

“Trump or Death.” And some people want to argue that this is not a cult.

Dumbass Comment of the Week (Special Arraignment Edition)

Donald Trump is a black hole when it comes to media attention. An arrest and arraignment of Trump will certainly—and justifiably—dominate the commentariat and the political world. As could be expected this week, much of what was spewed on this subject was dumb.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene set the pace for this week’s contestants with an observation she offered during that brief appearance at the tiny rally across from the courthouse. She compared Trump to the purported son of God, noting that “Jesus was arrested.” Disgraced liar Rep. George Santos, who obtained a House seat with outrageous falsehoods and shady money deals that he has yet to explain, complained as he walked away from the mini-protest, “It’s a bad day for democracy.” The DCotW judges were gobsmacked and had no words to describe Santos’ hypocrisy and faux concern for democracy.

The judges tend to ignore conspiracy theory monger Alex Jones’ Infowars because it’s just...so, so dumb. But they did want to highlight a remark from former judge Andrew Napolitano, who once was a high-profile Fox commentator, that came during an interview with the scurrilous Jones. Addressing Trump’s indictment, Napolitano said that Hillary Clinton “and her husband are behind this scam.” Napolitano claimed Trump’s arrest was part of a master plan to weaken Trump so President Joe Biden can win reelection—after dumping Vice President Kamala Harris and replacing her on the ticket with Hillary Clinton. And, Napolitano explained, once Biden is reelected, he would resign and hand the presidency to you-know-who. “I’m getting this from Democrats candidly who can’t stand her, but believe that she is orchestrating this,” Napolitano said. Yeah, right.

On arraignment day, right-wing commentator Matt Walsh added this beaut to the national discourse: “Mutually assured destruction is the only way through this. Treat them like they treat us. Hold them to their own standards. It’s not pretty but it’s the only way. Either this or we bow down and surrender.”

Indeed, let’s hold Democrats to the same standards. If they pay hush money to porn stars and paramours and then falsify business records to cover that up, arrest them. Also, if they steal classified government records, pressure state election officials to rig vote counts, and plot coups and incite riots to overturn elections, indict the heck out of them. Finally, a national consensus.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) puzzled the judges with this comment: “This indictment wouldn’t happen if President Trump didn’t run for office.”

Well, duh. If Trump had not run for office in 2016, he would not have needed to buy the silence of an adult film actress who said she had an extramarital affair with him. Jordan is right. Trump could have avoided all this had he stuck to (fake) reality television.

Republican Party chair Ronna McDaniel moaned, “We're learning in America the greatest crime you can have is to be a Republican."

Poor Republicans...only they get indicted. As Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) replied to McDaniel, there have been plenty of Democratic politicians who have been nabbed by the authorities: former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, former Rep. Anthony Weiner, former Rep. Chaka Fattah, former LA councilmember José Huizar. Lieu forgot former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Sad to say, there are others.

Onetime Trump-defending Attorney General Bill Barr was in the running this week for calling New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against Trump “a political hit job.”

The judges agreed that if chutzpah were a deciding factor in determining the victor, Barr would win handily. As I explained a few issues ago, Barr and the Trump Justice Department shut down the federal investigation of the Stormy Daniels hush-money payoff seemingly to protect Trump. Barr certainly knows about the politicization of law enforcement.

On to the winner: former Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.). Appearing on Fox, he remarked, “I think it's kinda staggering that you can be accused of something that involves an adult film star, and it not hurt you at all in a Republican primary.”

Of course, Gowdy, once the drum-banger of Benghazi, was correct. Trump leads the polls in the GOP 2024 presidential contest, despite being indicted for this sordid business. But has Gowdy been under a rock—or a mountain—for the past seven years? His party long ago tossed aside family values to become the Cult of Trump. Remember the Access Hollywood video? It is no longer staggering that Republicans embrace a sleazy misogynist and alleged serial adulterer who paid off a porn star and who soon will face a trial in a civil lawsuit that alleges he raped writer E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s. Barr did not win this week for chutzpah, but Gowdy prevails for naivete.

The Mailbag

It was quite the busy news week. I’m surprised anyone had time to write in. Bruce Bodjack appreciated my explanation of how Fox News can survive the ongoing scandal that demonstrates it is nothing but a for-profit propaganda operation. He wrote: “I have been waiting for this article for some time. Your research has produced a vision from the fog.” And he asked, “How one can train the mind to better read information for fact or reality?” That’s a good question. But it presupposes that people believe they need to develop such skills. The problem with disinformation is that it is accepted by folks who—like most of us—assume they know how to tell the difference between fact and fiction. Bodjack adds, “I fear the future of information with AI’s ability to produce fake voice and video. The need for information literacy, is changing from useful to mandatory.” I agree. We’re in for quite a ride.

Karen Martin wrote:.

Thank you for your thorough examination of false news adherents as well as the sources and studies cited. I now have a clearer understanding of how these people arrive at their misplaced beliefs. Sadly, it sounds like nothing is likely to change.

Once you realize that it is damn hard to persuade diehard Fox viewers that they are wrong, you can concentrate your efforts on other endeavors.

Karen Fletcher emailed:

 
It’s my understanding that Fox News is played on military bases during meals (and possibly other communal occasions). WTF??? I’ve contacted my congressional representative and senators—and being from Portland, Oregon, they are allegedly liberal—but nobody has responded to my questions about what can be done. Is it true that Fox is played in communal settings? Who made this decision? How can we stop it? Thanks so much for the news I get from you even though it pisses me off.

Sorry to piss you off, but I don’t control reality...As for Fox, yes, it is on television screens at US military bases, even though it has spewed disinformation that undermines the very democracy American troops serve to protect. Not sure who controls this. But recently, a veterans group asked the Pentagon to remove Fox from its TVs. I doubt that’s a battle the Defense Department wants to take on.

Patricia Jaeger apparently also gets pissed off with the stuff I write about, but she observed:

Fox sucks, disinformation is very real and dangerous but balancing that out with Springsteen and the Bangles—pure genius. 

She was referring to my recent reviews of Springsteen’s current tour and the debut novel of Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles.

Van Camp wanted to gripe:

They should just put Trump away, stop covering him and reporting on him. Just send him to the back, to never be mentioned again. 

Sara Wall had a similar sentiment to share:

I am sick to death hearing anything about TFG, and I know the right-wing machine and the “both sides” MSM are just getting wound up. It’s going to be a long, hot summer, I’m thinking. 

I feel your pain. But given that he is the leading Republican 2024 contender, I don’t think Trump can be ignored. His authoritarian rants deserve attention—but the right sort of attention. MSNBC was correct not to cover his post-arraignment Mar-a-Lago speech live. After Trump was done bloviating, the network recapped some of the speech’s worst moments, providing context for his erroneous statements. CNN and Fox (of course) broadcast it live, thus amplifying in real time his lies, falsehoods, and animosity. That is not the way to do it.

Mary Bristow sent in a dispatch from Tennessee regarding the latest school-shooting massacre and the Dumbass Comment of the Week nominations it spurred:

I live about 15 miles from the Covenant School in Nashville. The day after the shooting I had a meeting in a building right across the street. There are five school-age children in my family. There are no words. And yet so many people have so many useless words. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) with his Washington is useless/Washington is the problem comment—well if Washington is so useless to deal with society's problems, Congressman, what the heck are you doing there wasting your time?

And then there’s GOP Governor Bill Lee and the state legislative leaders, with more "now is not the time." Now will never be the time. Because the It's Too Soon Clock never dings on the time to act because before it does another tragic event happens and the next It's Too Soon Clock starts to run. Every single time. For them now is not the time and will never be the time because they don't want to deal with the hard stuff, and risk losing votes and campaign contributions.

Tuesday night there was a meeting of the Metro Nashville Public Schools Board. And student board member Alayna Mitchell, a Hillsboro High School junior spoke: "Keeping children safe is not political. It is the duty of each and every adult in this country. If you have the power to make change and instead sit back and remain complicit, do better." And this gives me hope, the same hope that I found after Parkland. The kids get it. They really do. And they get older and more of them can vote every year.

One thing this event brought home was how the ripples of gun violence are spreading. Soon there will be no one untouched or at least no one who doesn't know someone touched. One of the on-air broadcasters Monday had a bad moment on the air when she got word her child's school was locked down. Another spoke of having been present at a shooting in her middle school. A lady who just happened to be visiting family in town just a block or so from the scene talked to a reporter on the air; she and her son had been at the shooting last 4th of July. I was talking to my favorite bagger at Publix Wednesday morning, and he said his son had been present at the concert in Las Vegas that turned into a killing ground.

Sorry, way too long. This one was way too close to home.

Referencing my review of Hoffs’ novel, Jonathan Ostrowsky wrote:

Sure, you're a fan of the Bangles. But do you still have your fan club membership card?

I do not. And long ago I lost my Beatles fan club membership card.

MoxieCam™

“I hear the big news is that this Trump guy was arrested.”

“Yes, Moxie. He was indicted for allegedly making hush-money payments to a porn star and falsifying records to cover that up.”

“Sounds legally complicated. Does he have a dog?”

“No.”

“I hope they throw the book at him.”

Read Recent Issues of Our Land

April 4, 2023: Why Fox can survive its mega-scandal; Bruce Springsteen’s rock ‘n’ roll revival; a new rock-chick-lit novel from Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles; and more.

April 1, 2023: Trump’s indictment is yet another stress test for America; Dumbass Comment of the Week; the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.

March 28, 2023: A Reagan bombshell reminds us of the GOP’s reliance on dirty tricks; elite bonding; Shrinking respects and breaks the sitcom formula; and more.

March 25, 2023: The real perversion in Trump’s porn-star-hush-money caper; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Possible Trump Indictment Edition); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.

March 21, 2023: The Iraq War: a personal remembrance of dissent; Los Angeles Times columnist Jean Guerrero’s stunning investigative memoir; and more

March 18, 2023: Is anti-wokeness all the GOP has?; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Mike Pence); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.

March 15, 2023: A debate (of sorts) over the Columbia Journalism Review’s huge Trump-Russia fail; Iris DeMent sings out about our current troubles; and more.

March 7, 2023: I visit paradise (the Tucson Festival of Books); do we need the blood and guts of All Quiet on the Western Front?; and more.

March 4, 2023: The (very selective) Covid wars; the never-ending story of George Santos; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Bezalel Smotrich); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.

Got suggestions, comments, complaints, tips related to any of the above, or anything else? Email me at ourland@motherjones.com.