Democrats pressure Justice Clarence Thomas to RECUSE himself from Trump’s presidential immunity case before the Supreme Court as new report reveals the conservative justice was considering resigning due to ‘financial strain’ and meek SCOTUS salary
- Democrats hit Justice Clarence Thomas with new pressure campaign
- They argue Ginni Thomas’s actions after the election ‘raise serious questions’ about Justice Thomas’ ability to be impartial
- They also cite the Supreme Court’s new ethics code
Democrats are calling on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from the high court’s handling of Donald Trump‘s bid for immunity in the case about the 2020 election, citing his wife’s actions in the aftermath of the contest and the court’s own ethics rules.
In a Dec. 15 letter to Thomas, eight House Democrats ramped up the pressure on the justice to step back from the case involving the former president.
‘We strongly implore you to exercise your discretion and recuse yourself from this and any other decisions in the case of United States v. Trump,’ Representative Hank Johnson, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee’s court subcommittee, and seven other Democrats wrote.
The Democrats argue Ginni Thomas’s actions after the election ‘raise serious questions’ about her husband’s ‘ability to be or even to appear impartial in any cases before the Supreme Court involving the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection.’
‘If you want to show the American people that the Supreme Court’s recent Code of Conduct is worth more than the paper it is written on, you must do the honorable thing and recuse yourself from any decisions in the case of United States v. Trump,’ the lawmakers note.
Donald Trump has been charged with four counts related to conspiring to obstruct the results of the 2020 election. His lawyers argue that presidential immunity shields him from prosecution.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled against the former president in December. Trump appealed the decision, and special counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court last week to expedite that process. Trump’s lawyers have until Wednesday to respond to Smith’s request.
It is unclear if Thomas will recuse himself or not when the court considers the case.
In ProPublica’s latest investigation of Thomas and his finances, the outlet described the justice’s private complaints about money 20 years ago that led to fears of his resignation.
Thomas reportedly told then-Republican Rep. Cliff Stearns, who he was seated next to on a plane in 2000, that Congress should give Supreme Court justices a pay raise. If lawmakers didn’t act, Thomas reportedly said, one or more justices would soon leave. Stearns left the conversation fearing that Thomas might resign.
Thomas’ salary was $173,600, equivalent to over $300,000 today.
‘His importance as a conservative was paramount,’ Stearns said told the publication. ‘We wanted to make sure he felt comfortable in his job and he was being paid properly.’
The Supreme Court’s code of conduct asks the justices to disqualify themselves from a case if their ‘impartiality might reasonably be questioned.
If a justice or their spouse has ‘an interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding’ or is ‘likely to be a material witness in the proceeding,’ the ethics code suggests recusal.
The decision to recuse, however, is up to the justice.
Ginni Thomas, who is active in conservative political circles, encouraged lawmakers in Wisconsin and Arizona to overturn Joe Biden’s victories in those states, the Washington Post reported.
In the days after the 2020 election, Thomas, a prominent conservative activist, wrote text messages to then White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows encouraging him not to let Trump give up the election fight.
‘Help This Great President stand firm, Mark!!!…You are the leader, with him, who is standing for America’s constitutional governance at the precipice. The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History,’ she wrote in one text, sent on November 10, a day after the networks called the race for Biden.
Additionally, Thomas pushed state lawmakers in Wisconsin and Arizona to overturn the election results.
At least two Wisconsin state lawmakers received a pre-generated letter signed by Thomas asking that they ‘fight back against fraud’ and use their Constitutional authority to appoint a ‘clean’ slate of electors to back Trump over Biden.