Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Thursday offered to draft articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas if no one else in her party does so.
Ocasio-Cortez said that the recent report revealing Thomas’s close ties to a billionaire, whom he went on family vacations with, extends “far” beyond what is acceptable for a democracy, and that his position on the court is an “emergency” and a “crisis.”
AOC CALLS FOR JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS TO BE IMPEACHED
“Congress is out of session for the next week, and so that does give Democrats some time to strategize. The way I feel about it is that, I do think articles need to be introduced,” Ocasio-Cortez told the Lever Time podcast. “If we decide strategically that the actual author of those articles and who introduces them may not be me, that’s fine, I will support impeachment. But I just think that if no one’s going to introduce it, I would certainly be open to doing so and drafting them myself. I think this has gone far, far beyond any sort of acceptable standard in any democracy, let alone an American democracy.”
An investigation found that Thomas’s close friendship with real estate developer Harlan Crow extended to lavish gifts and expensive family vacations without disclosing the activities and items. The vacations included travel on a private jet, yacht, and free stays in Crow’s vacation homes.
Thomas released a statement on Friday admitting to the friendship but claimed the relationship with Crow was personal, not professional.
“As friends do, we have joined them on a number of family trips during the more than quarter century we have known them,” Thomas said. “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. I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure, and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines.”
He continued: “These guidelines are now being changed, as the committee of the Judicial Conference responsible for financial disclosure for the entire federal judiciary just this past month announced new guidance. And, it is, of course, my intent to follow this guidance in the future.”
Democrats have been outraged at the Thomases recently, including Thomas’s wife, Ginni Thomas, after she sent text messages to former President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, urging him to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Members of Congress were also upset Thomas refused to recuse himself from hearing cases related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol because of Ginni Thomas’s text messages, but no articles of impeachment were introduced against Thomas. Ocasio-Cortez was one of the congresswomen who joined the calls for his resignation or removal.