Clarence Thomas Fails to Disclose 1991 ($100,000) Citizens United In-Kind Contributions

[kpete]

Clarence Thomas is falling into a deep, deep ethical hole, deeper even than the one he dropped into when he failed to disclose his wife's income for 20 years. As more facts come to light, it's obvious he failed to disclose quite a bit, including the $100,000 Citizens United spent on his behalf in 1991 to support his nomination. That would be an in-kind contribution which should have been disclosed as such.

A Time Magazine article from 1991 has the details:
http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/clarence-thomas-fails-disclose-citizens-uni

Washington-area television viewers were startled last week to see three familiar senatorial faces pop up on their screens above the words WHO WILL JUDGE THE JUDGE? The follow-up question -- "How many of these liberal Democrats could themselves pass ethical scrutiny?" -- was hardly necessary, since the faces were those of Edward Kennedy, Joseph Biden and Alan Cranston, all scarred veterans of highly publicized scandals, from Chappaquiddick to plagiarized speeches to the Keating Five.

The ad, produced by two independent right-wing groups, was intended to bolster Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas' confirmation chances by pointing the finger at three liberal Democrats who seemed likely to oppose him. Not coincidentally, the ad was produced by the same people who launched the 1988 Willie Horton spot that branded Michael Dukakis soft on crime but left George Bush open to charges of racism. Anxious not to be associated with such negative campaigning this time around, Bush quickly labeled the attacks on the Senators "counterproductive." Thomas pronounced them "vicious." His chief Senate supporter, Missouri Republican John Danforth, called them "sleazy" and "scurrilous."

Although Bush and chief of staff John Sununu demanded that the ads be pulled, their right-wing sponsors -- L. Brent Bozell III, chairman of the Conservative Victory Committee, and Floyd Brown, chairman of Citizens United -- refused. Calling the campaign a "pre-emptive strike" to counter anticipated anti-Thomas commercials, as well as retaliation for the 1987 spots that helped defeat Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork, they vowed to keep running the messages for at least two weeks "until the left agrees to discontinue all its efforts against Judge Thomas." Thus far, that has been a mostly fitful effort at best, but Brown and Bozell appeared to see the flag of revolution rising above it. "Unfortunately," the two men declared in a written statement, "the Administration has no desire to confront the radical left."

VIDEO & MORE:
http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/clarence-thomas-fails-disclose-citizens-uni

[FreakinDJ]

1. Clarence gotta go

[The Wielding Truth]

16. This is him not his wife, right?

[FreakinDJ]

17. Sure sounds like it

and He ruled on the "Citizens United" case

[robinlynne]

45. One of the two worst rulings in recent supreme court history! Can it be overturned????

(the other being bush vs gore)....

[annabanana]

2. Hoo boy!

Just how bald does it have to be?

[pscot]

5. If you are a republican

you have to be found s standing over the body with a smoking gun in your hand.

[tishaLA]

8. ...and it needs to have been videotaped

and even then, the Fox crew will insist it was provoked.

[Bandit]

36. If that were to occur he would be proclaimed a Hero and lauded throughout the land

There really is nothing IMO that Republicans would find repulsive enough to send a Supreme Court Justice (a Republican one), packing.. In fact the more repulsive their behavior the more they are hailed and applauded.

[blogslut]

3. drip

drip, drip...

[malaise]

4. Oh My!

When is he resigning?

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Webster Green]

7. These things cannot be pursued. We have to look forward.

Anyway he's above any laws. He's a rethug and an old white guy (well..more or less).

[calimary]

27. No - I do believe he's not above IMPEACHMENT.

Could he also be disbarred?

[Tesha]

55. Disbarment would matter not a whit.

One need not be an attorney at all, let alone one
admitted to the bar, in order to be a Supreme Court
Justice.

Tesha

[Truth2Tell]

43. lol nt

[JDPriestly]

52. And, bipartisan, bipartisan, bipartisan.

[hootinholler]

9. Oh, *that* Citizens United. n/t

[Historic NY]

10. Can't we get this clown, he has no ethics he is bought & paid for.

[ShadowLiberal]

11. Corruption in our courts, and the mainstream media will just ignore it like usual

The worst part about all these scandals surrounding Thomas lately is the mainstream media is largely just ignoring it. Corruption at that high of a level should be a huge scandal. Worst yet, Thomas has a history of decisions that blatantly ignore the corrupting power of money (he's ruled a judge doesn't have to sit out a case if one side paid 80% of all the money spent on that judge's last election to their job as judge, which is absurd. 80% of all the money everyone combined spent on a campaign is attempting to buy an election. Even scarier is that 3 other judges agreed with him on that case).

It's not just the supreme court either, other state supreme courts have much looser ethical rules to follow then judges in lower positions in their state. In my state (PA) some state supreme court judges regularly accept expensive trips to law conventions all at the expense of law firms who argue cases in front of them regularly, the same judges also often play golf with people from those law firms. It's all perfectly legal in my state as long as they report the 'gifts' on some form they have to fill out yearly.

[The Wielding Truth]

22. Is he above the law? No one is a above the law!

[DemoTex]

12. And we thought "pubic hair on a Coke can" was disgusting ..

Little did we know how true Anita Hill's predictions were. Uncle Tom? Maybe. But dare I say in these PC times that Justice Thomas is just a slave?

[Canuckistanian]

13. "Citizens United", hmmmm

Where have I heard that name before?

[santamargarita]

14. This asshole has got to go!

However, like Bush, he was never supposed to be there in the first place.

[ashling]

24. Maybe Obama will give him a medal.

:puke::puke::puke:

[santamargarita]

32. The way things are going today, that would be the natural course of action

[lonestarnot]

15. Suppose Common Cause's course of action will get any attention from Gonzales?

They promise to keep after them, both of them. Scalia stinks to high heaven too.

[oasis]

18. This is not going away. (nt)

[lonestarnot]

20. Bob Edgar better buy a flak jacket and a steel pot for his head.

[Octafish]

19. This story should have legs.

Wonder when the NYT and WaPo will pick up on it?

[lonestarnot]

21. Rachel and Bob Edgar (Common Cause) shouting it from the roof top tonight.

Good job Rach! Yes watching MSNBC again since Keith's announced gig with Current TV. Harrassing Cox till they get it!

[TicketyBoo]

29. I'm hoping

that Current will do podcasts of Keith's show. It's likely the only way I'll be able to get it.

[blackspade]

23. Thomas is looking even more corrupt than Scalia!

Thats some hard work there!

[savannah43]

33. Scalia is probably worse.

He's just smarter than Thomas. But then, most people are smarter than Thomas.

[blackspade]

34. True, sadly....

[Avant Guardian]

25. Nuttin to see here folks...

..now get along

[avaistheone1]

26. Clarence Thomas is a crook and

not fit to sit on the highest court in the land.

:thumbsdown:

[rasputin1952]

28. How this clown ever became a judge, much less an Associate Judge...

on the USSC is beyond any rational explanation.

He is as stupid as a stick, lazy, incompetent and now, it appears, nothing more than a common crook.

Impeaching this idiot is out of the question since the R's control the House, but I would like to see action from D's condemning him now, then impeaching him when they regain the House. It would be interesting to see Roberts presiding over the trial in the Senate...and if found guilty by the Senate, having Roberts pass judgment removing Thomas from the USSC...that scenario tickles me to death...:D

[SpiralHawk]

30. Skanky skuzzbucket Republicon Family Vales

Why don't these perps try American Values sometimes, you know, honesty, integrity, honor...?

Republicon Family Values are an ethical cesspool...

[Frank Cannon]

31. This corrupt, useless POS can roast and eat a baby on national TV...

and no one would lift a finger.

The best we could hope for is that he can be shamed into resigning, but since he has no shame, even the odds of that are pretty slim.

[Joanne98]

35. OH MY GAWD!

[The Wizard]

37. When will the Republican Party

declare Pox News 24/7 campaign ads disguised as news as in kind contributions?
Any broadcasts done with a political agenda are not news.

[deminks]

38. And while we're at it, has Citizens United bought off any other judges?

Seems like that whole decision might warrant a redo after a more thorough investigation.

[glinda]

40. My thought also. I think that needs a look.

[gratuitous]

39. Oh, let us not look backwards to the past

Besides, Elena Kagan plays softball, and I think we all know what that means.

[truebrit71]

41. Time for impeachment...

...in fact waaaaaaaaaaaaaay past time for impeachment..

Can you imagine the howls of fury of Ginsberg did this?

[beac]

42. Good gawd, there's something new every day with that guy.

If he can't be impeached, then we might as well do away with impeachment.

[Blue_In_AK]

44. Impeach the MFer.

He's crooked as they come.

[Uncle Joe]

46. Why hasn't Thomas been impeached yet?

Thomas is so corrupt, he gives corruption a bad name.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[rhett o rick]

48. Who's going to impeach him, our corrupt Congress? nm

[WhiteTara]

47. He failed for 20 years to disclose

then he voted for them. Talk about sleeper cells.

[fasttense]

49. Thomas needs to be prosecuted now.

Worry about impeachment later. But this guy is so corrupt and unethical. He needs to be investigated along with the rest of the court. I bet at least 4 of them are taking bribes from corporations.

I guess bribes are the pay raise the supremes wanted.

[tblue]

50. If Egypt can bring down Mubarek, surely we can bring down old Clarence

All we need to do is emulate their sustained protest and a clear objective. Wouldn't it be great to give Obama another chance to pick a new Justice?

[valerief]

51. How many laws can this guy break? As many as he wants? nt

[xchrom]

53. recommend

[BlueJac]

54. We must look forward..........

[madmax]

56. Paging John Dansforth - nt

[Paka]

57. Thomas needs to go, preferably yesterday...

and the whole "Citizens United" decision revisited.

:puke: :puke: :puke:

[midnight]

58. Let your outrage be used for good... Join Mr. Feingold's

Progressive United. A group established to overturn Citizen's United ruling...http://www.progressivesunited.org/splash

[otohara]

59. Google Clarence Thomas - Hit News - Nada, Nuthing

WTF?

in order to get any news links on this story, you must type in something else, ie Citizens United, Koch Bros.

[sam sarrha]

60. he is a Dominionist... god favors the rich so he doesnt gave to play by the rules of the poor whom

god hates.. Christian mafia/C st/the Fellowship/the Family/Abraham Vereide the Nazi/ doug coe

google your favorate politician's name and add 'doug Coe'...