By Lawrence Hurley —
NBC News
Conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas explained this Friday why he did not reveal the luxury trips paid for by his "dearest friend" Harlan Crow, a billionaire and one of the largest donors to the Republican Party, revealed Thursday by the investigative outlet ProPublica .
In a statement, the magistrate said: "At the beginning of my tenure on the Court [Supreme, in 1991], I asked my colleagues and other members of the judiciary for advice, and I was advised that this type of personal hospitality from close friends, that they had no business to discuss with the court, it was not reportable.” “I have endeavored to follow that advice throughout my tenure, and have always tried to adhere to the disclosure guidelines,” the judge added.
"Harlan and [his wife] Kathy Crow are among my dearest friends, we've been friends for over 25 years; as friends do, we've gotten together on family trips over the quarter-century-plus that I've known them," explained the magistrate.
Travel on planes and luxury yachts
The 74-year-old judge vacationed on Crow's 162-foot superyacht, flew on the businessman's private jet, and spent time at several of his resorts and
other
luxury venues, ProPublica said, citing documents and dozens of documents. Of interviews.
Thomas usually spends about a week each summer at Topridge,
Crow's private
resort in the Adirondacks mountains of northeast New York state, and has used the businessman's private jet numerous times, according to records cited by ProPublica.
In 2019, shortly after the Supreme Court issued its final ruling of the judicial season, Thomas flew with his wife on Crow's plane to Indonesia, where they spent a nine-day vacation aboard the property developer's yacht, a trip that cost more than $500,000, according to ProPublica.
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Thomas did not disclose these trips in his annual financial statements.
Under the rules in force until recently, he was not required to do so.
Supreme Court justices are subject to fewer ethical restrictions than lower echelons of the judiciary.
Some groups have called for the implementation of a code of ethics for the high court.
Judges submit financial statements, and experts say they are required to disclose all gifts they receive valued at more than $415.
Although there are exceptions to this requirement, transportation is not one of them.
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Thomas said in his statement that he would comply with changes to the Supreme Court's disclosure rules announced in February, which, among other measures, make it clear that private jet travel and stays at private resorts such as the that Crow owns in upstate New York would have to be disclosed.
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The change in disclosure rules toughened an exemption for “personal hospitality” that was not strictly defined.
That adjustment was made just weeks before the ProPublica article published Thursday detailed Thomas' travels.