A steady, stunning stream of ethics violations by multiple sitting Sup Ct justices

POGO Weekly Spotlight <reply@pogo.org>

To:Mark Giese

Sat, Oct 28, 2023 at 8:00 AM

October 28, 2023

The Senate Finance Committee reported earlier this week that Justice Clarence Thomas may have had a loan of more than $267,000 either partially or completely forgiven by the wealthy friend who had loaned it to him. That friend, health care businessman Anthony Welters, loaned Thomas the money for a luxury bus RV. According to the Senate Finance Committee, Thomas did not report that loan in his financial disclosures. In addition, if Welters did forgive the loan in whole or in part, Thomas would have been required to report that to the IRS under the U.S. tax code, but it’s not clear whether he did so. As you may know, Thomas is not the only justice in the hot seat. The past few months has brought a steady, stunning stream of ethics violations by multiple sitting justices to light. While one justice has publicly come out in favor of a code of conduct for the court — something we have long been pushing for — it is clear that we cannot rely only on the court to police itself. We’re pleased the Senate Finance Committee is taking Justice Thomas’s ethics violations seriously. The only way Congress can fully address the breadth and depth of corruption at the highest and most powerful court of the land is with persistent oversight. Congress has the constitutional authority and the means to investigate the ultra-wealthy benefactors of the justices and the possible conflicts of interest at the Supreme Court. POGO supports and encourages them to step firmly into that power to ensure this unacceptable behavior doesn’t go unanswered for. WANT MORE FROM POGO? The latest from us, straight to your inbox For updates on POGO’s investigations, upcoming events, and more ways you can get involved, subscribe to our emails. INVESTIGATION Military Families Battle Rigged Housing Dispute Process The formal dispute process for military family housing tends to favor the interests of housing companies and silences military families, housing advocates say. Read More ANALYSIS Here’s why MuckRock and POGO Had to Archive FOIAonline Transparency organizations publish nearly 34,000 documents after officials failed to ensure information would remain accessible. Read More ICYMI POGO’s Executive Director Danielle Brian talked about how we can achieve global peace by developing accountable government institutions and reducing corruption. Watch on Youtube now.   WANT MORE FROM POGO? Eyes on the federal government from every angle:   Paper Trail: Quick links to the news in the world of government oversight The Bunker: Military intelligence from POGO's Mark Thompson The Bridge: Wade through the jargon with Spurthi Kontham Click here to update your newsletter subscriptions.   🎧 The Continuous Action Podcast 📺 YouTube 📱 Instagram 💸 Support our work

pogo.org The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that investigates and exposes waste, corruption, abuse of power, and when the government fails to serve the public or silences those who report wrongdoing. We champion reforms to achieve a more effective, ethical, and accountable federal government that safeguards constitutional principles.