Conservatives from the Wall Street Journal to Ben Shapiro are providing cover for
judicial corruption ,in this case,
in response to a pretty explosive story that ProPublica broke last week,
showing that Justice Clarence Thomas has been taking all sorts of nice gifts,
luxury trips, from a billionaire.
And that is, of course, a huge violation of ethics.
There are conflicts of interest there, we've talked about it in great detail.
Now, who is providing cover specifically?
Well, the entire editorial board over at the Wall Street Journal.
They write a piece titled, The Smearing of Clarence Thomas,
the left gins up another phony ethics assault to tarnish the Supreme Court.
Now let me just note that Harlan Crow who is the billionaire
that keeps gifting justice Thomas luxury trips and gifts,
spends about half a million dollars a year to send Thomas and
his wife to some fancy ranch, some luxury vacation, half a million dollars.
Now, seriously ask yourselves, if some billionaire is spending half a million
dollars on you every year, will the desires of that billionaire and
all of his other billionaire friends who, by the way, go on these retreats and these
trips as well, will their opinions and their desires, maybe, take precedent or
more of a priority than what is in the best interests of the public?
>> Yeah. So, first of all, of course.
Every reasonable person knows that.
But I think more importantly,
look, there's a very clear rule that you have to report these type of expenses.
>> Yep.
>> And Clarence Thomas didn't report them because he wanted to hide it.
And remember Clarence Thomas is a fraud in every direction, right?
So he's the guy who's, man,
I like to do my vacations in the R.V parks and the Walmart parking lots.
Meanwhile the guy's on a super yacht and he can go to that lake house,
which I saw the lake house.
It's gorgeous, right?
Any time that he wants etc.
No, there's nothing wrong with having rich friends and going on their boats or
going to their houses.
But if you're a federal judge you have to report that, so
that we at least know what your potential bias is.
I mean, that's bare minimum and he didn't even do that.
>> Of course.
Now, I wanna read a few excerpts from this Wall Street Journal piece because it's
incredible.
I mean, when we talk about corporate media providing cover for
corporate politicians and, in this case,
a pro-corporate Supreme Court justice, this is what we're referring to.
So the editorial board writes,
quote, the left's assault on the Supreme Court is continuing, and
the latest front is the news that Justice Clarence Thomas has a rich friend
who has hosted the justice on his private plane, his yacht, and his vacation resort.
That's it.
That's the story.
>> No, you're lying.
>> That's not the story.
>> That's not at all the story.
>> By the way, that by itself is bad enough.
The fact that Justice Thomas failed to disclose this even though law would force
him to do so,
is also a huge part of the story that they're intentionally leaving out.
But let me continue.
Yet this non-bombshell has triggered breathless claims that the court must
be investigated, and that Justice Thomas must resign or be impeached.
Those demands give away the real political game here.
>> Okay, so what do you want him to do?
To say, yeah, from now on, no law applies to the Supreme Court justices.
They can do whatever the hell they want, they don't have to follow the rules,
they don't have to follow the law.
Well, that's what they argue for Donald Trump, right?
So now the great populist of the right wing say, if you're an elite,
you shouldn't have to follow the law.
Wow, you guys are such real populist.
>> They also write, the most ProPublica can come up with is that Harlan Crow has
deep connections in conservative politics.
Dear.
>> No.
When Thomas goes on these retreats, there are corporate CEOs,
the retreats, the resorts are full to the brim of corporate
CEOs that have also been invited by Harlan Crow.
I wonder why?
Why is Justice Thomas hobnobbing with corporate executives?
>> Yeah. Guys,
there's a couple of different things here.
When he goes to events, whether they're paid for or not paid for,
filled to the room with religious cells that agree with him,
as long as he's reporting it, I hate it but I get it, and he's on that side.
And he's a zealot himself, fundamentalist doesn't give a damn about the law,
will rule on the side of what he thinks the Christian position is every time.
But that's called politics.
Okay? So then we should have had more
Democratic presidents that didn't appoint people like Clarence Thomas.
That's not what this is.
This is, hey, I'm not gonna tell you that I'm getting sent to these amazing
vacations, and all these corporate CEOs are lobbying me in the midst of coffee and
beer and fishing, and hey look at that,
all my positions are aligned with exactly what they want.
Look, you could argue that a guy spending $500,000 on your vacation is a bribe.
And then, >> Yeah, you should argue that.
>> Yeah. >> You should argue that, come on.
Come on guys, this is the thing that drives me nuts.
It's the gas lighting, and it's the effort to insult our intelligence.
>> Yeah.
>> You think we're stupid?
Really?
You think someone is gonna shell out half a million dollars every single year for
this week-long trip for Justice Thomas because they're just genuinely buddies and
he expects nothing in return?
Come on.
>> They didn't grow up together, the only reason they know each other is Crow and
his corporate friends are going to make billions based on which way Thomas
decides.
It's an investment in a Supreme court justice.
That's why Clarence Thomas hid it because he knows he's guilty.
>> Brett Stevens is another person who has decided to minimize this,
it's no big deal.
He writes in the New York Times, sorry but the only scandal I see here is that
the luxury trips don't square with justice Thomas's self-portrait as a guy who likes
to drive his R.V around the country, spending nights at Walmart parking lots.
>> No, that's not the only scandal, brother.
No, that's just a random liar, are you kidding me?
If every Republican lie was a scandal, we will be drowning in scandals.
No, that's a very standard lie, okay?
No, we're worried that he's getting bribed by these guys and
he's doing exactly what they ask him to do.
Find me a decision where Crow and Clarence Thomas disagreed.
You won't be able to find one.
You won't be able to find but, it's a wild coincidence.
>> Just a wild coincidence.
>> That's why they're fishing buddies on a giant yacht.