Pro Publica on Thursday dropped a major new story documenting dozens of previously undisclosed vacations taken by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas that were funded by billionaire friends.
Although it is not clear whether Thomas broke any rules by not disclosing the vacations, CNN legal analyst Elie Honig said that shouldn't excuse the Supreme Court justice's behavior.
"The point here is the appearance of impropriety," said Honig. "How does Clarence Thomas think the world actually works? We all have friends. Do any of your friends pay for your private vacations? It is unheard of."
Honig then outlined why Thomas accepting trips from billionaires and failing to disclose them was wildly inappropriate and damaging to the Supreme Court as an institution even if no laws were broken.
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"This undermines public confidence," he argued. "We all ask, I think logically, why on Earth are these guys spending millions, why is he accepting this, why isn't he reporting it? And when you see the polls that show that the Americans' confidence is at an all-time low in the Supreme Court, I don't think it is because of the judicial outcomes... I think it is because we're learning about all the money flowing through and the lack of transparency."
Watch the video below or at this link.
'Unheard of': Legal analyst levels Clarence Thomas as new billionaire-funded vacations revealedwww.youtube.com
