Justice Clarence Thomas failed to publicly disclose additional private travel provided by wealthy conservative donor Harlan Crow, a top Democratic senator said in a letter Monday. Customs and Border Protection records revealed that the justice and his wife, Ginni Thomas, took a round trip between Hawaii and New Zealand in November 2010 on Crow’s private jet, according to the letter. Sen.
Ron Wyden, D-Ore., writing to Crow’s lawyer, demanded that he supply more information about the financial relationship between the two men. The letter, part of an inquiry that Wyden, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, has opened into Crow and the justice, comes as top Democrats have urged major changes to the Supreme Court, including an enforceable code of conduct.
Wyden said the latest revelation had only increased his misgivings about the relationship between the justice and Crow, a real estate magnate. “I am deeply concerned that Mr. Crow may have been showering a public official with extravagant gifts, then writing off those gifts to lower his tax bill,” Wyden wrote.
Thomas did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. A spokesperson for Crow, Michael Zona, said his lawyers had “already addressed Sen. Wyden’s inquiries, which have no legal basis and are only intended to harass a private citizen.
” It accused Wyden of a politically motivated effort to undermine the Supreme Court. The statement added that Crow had “always followed applicable tax law.”.