Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), asked Texas billionaire Harlan Crow to turn over information about the undisclosed trips, gifts, and payments he has made to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
In his letter, Wyden asked for a detailed inventory of all Thomas’ free flights aboard Crow’s private jet and superyacht, an accounting of federal gift tax returns for gifts made to Thomas or his family and information about three Georgia properties Crow bought from Thomas and his relatives, according to NBC.
“I write seeking information related to reports of undisclosed gifts and payments for the personal benefit of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, including private real estate transactions and the complimentary use of your private jet and superyacht,” Wyden, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee wrote.
The gifted trips taken by Thomas and his wife, Ginni, were to places like Indonesia, New Zealand and Greece.
Wyden’s letter comes shortly after a report by ProPublica that stated the chairman of Crow Holdings for more than two decades has treated the conservative justice to luxurious trips worth at least hundreds of thousands of dollars.
ProPublica also reported on April 13 that a Crow company in 2014 purchased three properties in Savannah, Georgia from Thomas and his family, including a home where the justice’s mother has lived rent-free for more than a decade, CNBC reports.
“This unprecedented arrangement between a wealthy benefactor and a Supreme Court justice raises serious concerns related to federal tax and ethics laws,” he said.
Justice Thomas had not disclosed any of the gifts from Crow until after the report from ProPublica.
“The secrecy surrounding your dealings with Justice Thomas is simply unacceptable,” Wyden wrote in his letter to Crow.
Wyden added that the American public should have all the information regarding these gifts “whether these gifts complied with all relevant and ethics laws.”
In the conclusion of his letter to Crow, Wyden wrote, “Please list any additional gifts or payments with a value in excess $1,000 made to Justice Thomas or members of his family since he was sworn into the Supreme Court that would not be captured by” the prior questions.
Additionally, Wyden asked Crow to claim business deductions or depreciation for his plane and yacht related to the trips by Thomas.
Crow’s office responded saying they would reply to Chairman Wyden’s letter “in due course” and Justice Thomas did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent to the Supreme Court’s media affairs office.
