US Senate Democrats seek information on Harlan Crow's gifts to Justice Clarence Thomas

WASHINGTON (AA) - Democratic members of the US Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to billionaire Harlan Crow asking for more information on gifts provided to Justice Clarence Thomas or other members of the Supreme Court.

"As part of the Senate Judiciary Committee's ongoing efforts to craft legislation strengthening the ethical rules and standards that apply to the Justices of the Supreme Court, we request that you provide the Committee with certain information by May 22, 2023," Senator Richard Durbin from the state of Illinois, the chairman of the committee, and others said in the letter sent Monday.

The letter asked Crow to provide a list of all gifts valued above $415 -- real estate transactions, all transportation or lodging accommodations and admissions to private, members-only clubs provided.

The move follows reports by ProPublica and other news outlets that revealed Thomas accepted luxury trips from the Republican megadonor for decades.

The reports alleged that Thomas and his wife, Virginia, had luxury trips -- including on Crow's mega yacht and stayed at his lavish properties -- subsidized by the conservative businessman.

Thomas defended himself, calling Crow and his wife, Kathy, his family's "dearest friends" in a statement.

"As friends do, we have joined them on a number of family trips during the more than quarter century we have known them," he 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.”​​​​​​​