Harlan Crow’s lawyer to meet Senate panel on Thomas gifts.

Republican Donor Harlan Crow Agrees to Meet with Senate Judiciary Committee Staff

A lawyer for Republican billionaire donor Harlan Crow has offered to meet with Senate Judiciary Committee staff to discuss Crow’s interactions with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, according to a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner.

Michael Bopp, Crow’s attorney, has expressed concerns about the panel’s authority to investigate Crow’s relationship with Thomas but has agreed to meet with staff. Bopp’s most recent response illustrates a new approach from Crow in dealing with the panel’s inquiry, in which they’ve acknowledged the panel’s right to oversight. However, Bopp reiterated that he does not believe the panel has any power to request such information from Crow, arguing, “Congress does not have the power to impose ethics standards on the Supreme Court.”

Controversial Allegations Against Justice Clarence Thomas

Thomas has been at the center of controversial allegations reported by ProPublica that he went on undisclosed trips at Crow’s expense and that Crow bought property that belonged to the justice’s family. The outlet also reported that the GOP donor bankrolled the private school tuition of Thomas’s grandnephew, who was raised by the justice “as a son.”

The letter from Bopp comes after Crow refused a request from the Senate Judiciary Committee to disclose information about Thomas’s relationship with Crow last month, writing that the panel doesn’t have the power to “investigate Mr. Crow’s personal relationship with Justice Clarence Thomas.”

Senate Judiciary Committee Disputes Bopp’s Arguments

In a follow-up letter dated May 26, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) disputed Bopp’s arguments, arguing that he misunderstood the Senate’s oversight powers. “Your explanation rested on a flawed assessment of Congress’s Article I oversight authority; a cramped reading of Congress’s constitutional authority to legislate in the area of government ethics; and a wholly misplaced view of the separation of powers, a doctrine that is implicated when Congress requests information from coordinate branches of government, not private individuals,” Durbin and Whitehouse wrote. “You also repeatedly conflated personal hospitality with the use of corporate-owned property, which highlights one of the key issues the Committee seeks to address through legislation.”

Crow has denied a request from the Senate Finance Committee to provide an itemized list of gifts he has given to Thomas by June 2.

ESG Emerges as Sleeper Issue in the 2024 Presidential Campaign

As the controversy surrounding Thomas and Crow continues, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) has emerged as a sleeper issue in the 2024 presidential campaign. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.

• Republican donor Harlan Crow has agreed to meet with Senate Judiciary Committee staff to discuss his interactions with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
• Crow’s attorney, Michael Bopp, has expressed concerns about the panel’s authority to investigate Crow’s relationship with Thomas but has agreed to meet with staff.
• Controversial allegations against Thomas include undisclosed trips at Crow’s expense, Crow buying property that belonged to Thomas’s family, and Crow bankrolling the private school tuition of Thomas’s grandnephew.
• The Senate Judiciary Committee disputes Bopp’s arguments and asserts its oversight powers.
• Crow has denied a request from the Senate Finance Committee to provide an itemized list of gifts he has given to Thomas by June 2.
• ESG has emerged as a sleeper issue in the 2024 presidential campaign.