A six-figure advertising campaign was launched by two liberal advocacy groups calling for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to resign after reports that he and his family allegedly received unreported gifts and special concessions from an influential donor.
The campaign, launched by the Alliance for Justice and Alliance for Justice Action Campaign, is to appear online in major national outlets, and is titled "Justice Thomas thinks the rules don't apply to him. He must resign," The Washington Examiner reported.
The groups claim Thomas accepted luxury vacation travels and "unfair" real estate transactions from GOP megadonor Harlan Crow while using his post as justice to strike down "abortion rights, voting rights, and sensible gun laws."
"That's not just unethical — it's illegal," the voice-over on the ad says. "Justice Thomas, if you want to make the rules, you don't get to break them. It's time to resign."
Crow has insisted that he and Thomas have been "dear friends" for nearly 30 years and that they don't discuss matters relating to the judiciary.
"From my point of view, that is off-limits," Crow has said, adding that it would be "absurd" to discuss cases with him "because that's not my world."
The Senate Judiciary Committee started investigating the friendship between Thomas and Crow and called on Crow to turn over lists itemizing donations and gifts that were provided to Thomas over the year, which he has refused to do.
Democrats are also examining the relationship to determine if it has influenced court decisions on conservative rulings, including in overturning Roe v. Wade and gun control laws.