{"id":1961103,"date":"2023-06-30T03:18:02","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T07:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/propublicas-smearing-of-conservative-justices-is-part-of-the-lefts-ploy-to-destroy-the-court\/"},"modified":"2023-06-30T03:21:45","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T07:21:45","slug":"propublicas-smearing-of-conservative-justices-is-part-of-the-lefts-ploy-to-destroy-the-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/propublicas-smearing-of-conservative-justices-is-part-of-the-lefts-ploy-to-destroy-the-court\/","title":{"rendered":"ProPublica&#8217;s attack on conservative justices is part of the left&#8217;s plot to dismantle the Court."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpropublicas-smearing-of-conservative-justices-is-part-of-the-lefts-ploy-to-destroy-the-court%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1961103&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>A Political Campaign to Destroy the Supreme Court<\/h2>\n<p>A foray of attacks on Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, Sam Alito, and Neil Gorsuch by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/questions-mount-after-biden-sets-modern-record-with-no-solo-press-conferences\/\" title=\"Questions Mount After Biden Sets \u2018Modern Record\u2019 With No Solo Press Conferences\">left-wing publications<\/a> and the radical left echo chamber is nothing more than a political campaign to destroy the court because it is no longer acting like a super-legislature imposing left-wing policies. These political attacks, masquerading as journalism, are all funded by uber-wealthy left-wing donors and are marching to those donors\u2019 agendas.<\/p>\n<h3>The Biased Reporting of ProPublica<\/h3>\n<p>Take ProPublica, which has published several dishonest stories smearing Justices Thomas and Alito regarding trips they have taken. ProPublica is worse than your typical corporate media organization, like The New York Times or CNN, which bring a clear bias and agenda to their reporting. Calling itself \u201cnonpartisan\u201d and \u201cindependent,\u201d ProPublica is directly funded by left-wing billionaires who fund other organizations that support court packing and prefer a court that engages in liberal judicial activism to impose a radical left agenda on the American people.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1872789596\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-efe02fbb218a4ff4f668b4b3e654690b fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-efe02fbb218a4ff4f668b4b3e654690b\"><\/div>\n<p>ProPublica is funded by the top far-left billionaires in the country. The Sandler Foundation is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-dark-money-lefts-court-packing-obsession\/\" title=\"The Dark Money Left\u2019s Court Packing Obsession\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/antifa-leftists-get-censored-by-social-media-platforms\/\" title=\"Antifa, leftists get censored by social media platforms\">left-wing group<\/a> founded<\/a> by Herbert Sandler, a billionaire who enriched himself with shady lending practices that many say <a href=\"https:\/\/content.time.com\/time\/specials\/packages\/article\/0,28804,1877351_1877350_1877343,00.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fueled<\/a> the 2008 housing crash. It has <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2023\/06\/20\/propublica-donors-clarence-thomas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">given<\/a> ProPublica more than $40 million. The Sandler Foundation also funds Demand Justice, a left-wing group, headed by Hillary Clinton\u2019s former adviser, which has called for court packing. The Sandler Foundation isn\u2019t alone. ProPublica also receives millions in <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2023\/06\/20\/propublica-donors-clarence-thomas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">funding<\/a> from the Foundation to Promote an Open Society, which is backed by left-wing billionaire George Soros, and others.<\/p>\n<p>ProPublica published a dishonest story alleging that Thomas violated federal ethics laws by not disclosing trips with his long-time friend Harlan Crow on his financial disclosure forms. (Disclosure: I was also on some of these trips). It omitted that these <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MarkPaoletta\/status\/1661494100841955331?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">same allegations<\/a> were submitted to the Judicial Conference by 20 members of Congress and two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/antifa-blm-vandalize-ice-building-burn-original-starbucks\/\" title=\"Antifa, BLM vandalize ICE building, burn original Starbucks\">left-wing groups<\/a> in 2011. The Judicial Conference <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/propublica-recycles-old-clarence-thomas-news-trips-crow-judicial-conference-investigation-b9d23640\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruled<\/a> that \u201cno evidence had been presented\u201d that supported these allegations. The Judicial Conference is the governing body to implement the federal ethics law for the judiciary, and it reviews and approves every disclosure form filed by a justice. How could ProPublica omit this critical fact?<\/p>\n<p>Instead, ProPublica cites a left-wing \u201cjudicial ethics expert,\u201d Kedric Payne from the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), which also happens to receive millions in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/courts\/left-wing-funding-network-behind-propublica-targeting-conservative-supreme-court-justices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">funding<\/a> from the Sandler Foundation and the Soros-funded Foundation to Promote an Open Society. Consistent with his funders\u2019 agenda, Payne opined that Thomas had violated the law. This is a conflicted and dishonest article.<\/p>\n<p>During testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Payne initially <a href=\"https:\/\/townhall.com\/tipsheet\/miacathell\/2023\/05\/03\/scotus-ethics-hearing-fact-check-witness-n2622741\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">denied<\/a> retweeting a post that stated \u201cJohn Roberts is a disgrace.\u201d When confronted with the tweet, he later corrected his testimony to admit he had. He also initially denied retweeting a post that claimed \u201cJustices are for sale\u201d but backed down at the hearing from this slanderous claim and admitted (rightfully) that no justice was for sale. Does this sound like a fair and neutral witness?<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-2f9b0f19db896105ca2f68b8b76f0396 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-2f9b0f19db896105ca2f68b8b76f0396\"><\/div>\n<p>ProPublica and Its Partisan &#8220;Ethics Officials&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In its story, ProPublica also cited officials from the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and the American Constitution Society (ACS) for their supposedly nonpartisan \u201cjudicial ethics\u201d opinions. But ACS has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/courts\/left-wing-funding-network-behind-propublica-targeting-conservative-supreme-court-justices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">received<\/a> millions from the Sandler Foundation, and CREW receives millions in funding from the Soros-funded Foundation to Promote an Open Society, among other left-wing donors. This is not fair and impartial; it\u2019s downright partisan and dishonest. The \u201creporter\u201d and the \u201cethics officials\u201d are all funded by the same left-wing organizations with an agenda to radically reshape the court.<\/p>\n<p>Smearing Justice Alito<\/p>\n<p>ProPublica smeared Alito with a similar story. ProPublica alleged Alito broke ethics laws by not disclosing a fishing trip to Alaska, again citing left-wing \u201cjudicial ethics experts,\u201d including a CREW lawyer. To make the story even more misleading, ProPublica waits until nearly the end of its very long story (the <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2023\/06\/21\/destroys-story-look-propublica-buried-73rd-paragraph-piece-justice-alito\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">73rd paragraph<\/a>!) to disclose that a Judicial Conference financial disclosure staffer had advised another federal judge who had been on a similar fishing trip to Alaska two years earlier in 2005, that he did not have to disclose the trip on his disclosure form. The judge even provided ProPublica with contemporaneous notes.<\/p>\n<p>The Truth About Judicial Trips<\/p>\n<p>It does not matter at all what CREW, ACS, or CLC left-wing partisan activists say or what false narrative ProPublica wants to manufacture for its donors. The Judicial Conference is the governing body, and its actions have made it clear that the justices previously did not have to report these trips. In March 2023, the Judicial Conference amended its guidance to require disclosing private plane rides on similar future trips. By making this change, the Judicial Conference clearly acknowledged that such trips were previously exempt. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/03\/29\/us\/politics\/supreme-court-trips-gifts-disclosures.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">News coverage<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/supreme-court\/supreme-court-justices-clarence-thomas-are-ethics-police-rcna78520\">reported<\/a> as much.<\/p>\n<p>Double Standards and Hypocrisy<\/p>\n<p>ProPublica is hellbent on destroying this court because it is now a court faithful to the Constitution. It\u2019s not about ethics. No one had a problem when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/us\/federal\/judicial\/financial-disclosures\/1213\/ruth-bader-ginsburg-disclosure.2018.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">accepted a trip<\/a> with Israeli billionaire Morris Kahn in 2018 to three countries in the Middle East. She listed this trip as a reimbursement and did not disclose its value. And this trip came shortly after the Supreme Court issued a favorable ruling for Kahn\u2019s company. No one claimed Ginsburg was being rewarded for the court\u2019s action. Similarly, no one had a problem when Justice Breyer flew on billionaire <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/person\/384\/disclosure\/15400\/stephen-gerald-breyer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">David Rubenstein\u2019s plane<\/a> in 2013 to attend a wedding in Nantucket. Breyer also listed this flight as a reimbursement and did not disclose its value.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e7abade4697759e16d715b56fb560f70 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e7abade4697759e16d715b56fb560f70\"><\/div>\n<p>There is not a shred of evidence that any of the trips Thomas or Alito took affected their rulings or opinions in any way whatsoever. Much of the criticism is that Thomas and Alito were provided nice accommodations on a trip, whether they disclosed the trip or not. There is nothing wrong or unethical with justices traveling, and this criticism shows why the left is disingenuously using these \u201ctravel\u201d issues to smear Thomas and Alito.<\/p>\n<p>Traveling Justices<\/p>\n<p>Ginsburg and Breyer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/news\/2019\/06\/scotus-justices-rack-up-trips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">traveled<\/a> frequently to Europe and other international destinations for weeks at a time that were paid for by third parties. Ginsburg put together a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/archive\/politics\/2002\/08\/28\/summers-abroad-with-pay\/eb1251f1-0b72-46d7-9bb3-d459a8168b2f\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">trip<\/a> in 2002 paid for by Hofstra Law School that allowed her to travel for nearly three weeks (July 6-24) to Nice, France, and London, England. I am certain she stayed in very nice hotels and dined at very nice restaurants in two of the most beautiful cities in the world. Between 2004-2021, Breyer went on 233 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/person\/384\/disclosure\/15400\/stephen-gerald-breyer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">trips<\/a>, including 63 international trips, all paid by third parties. During the same time frame,  Ginsburg went on 157 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/person\/1213\/disclosure\/30091\/ruth-bader-ginsburg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">trips,<\/a> with 28 international trips.<\/p>\n<p>ProPublica and its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/propublicas-smearing-of-conservative-justices-is-part-of-the-lefts-ploy-to-destroy-the-court\/\" title=\"ProPublica's attack on conservative justices is part of the left's plot to dismantle the Court.\">fellow left-wing-funded advocacy groups\u2019 attacks<\/a> on Thomas and Alito are dishonest and intended to undermine the American people\u2019s trust in the court. There is no ethics problem with the justices. These despicable attacks won\u2019t work, and ProPublica needs to be called out for them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-5d65cf9b55d7badbe68196983831b519 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-5d65cf9b55d7badbe68196983831b519\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by powerful progressive organizations and individuals who seek to undermine the integrity and independence of the Supreme Court. Their aim is to silence conservative voices and ensure a liberal dominance in the judiciary. These orchestrated assaults on the justices are a dangerous threat to the balance of power and the principles of justice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":739,"featured_media":1961104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1961103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1961103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/739"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1961103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1961103\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1961104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1961103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1961103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1961103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}