Republicans are condemning an effort by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., to get Chief Justice John Roberts to testify before Congress about the Supreme Court's ethical standards, The Hill is reporting.
Durbin sent a letter to Roberts requesting his voluntary testimony on Supreme Court ethics amid allegations the conservative Justice Clarence Thomas has erred on past financial disclosures, NBC News reported.
Republicans accuse Durbin of trying to pressure Roberts to respond to reports by ProPublica that Thomas failed to properly disclose gifts he received from a Texas billionaire, including private jet travel and the sale of a property in which Thomas owned a third interest, according to The Hill
"I would not recommend that the chief accept his invitation because it will be a circus," Sen. John Cornyn R-Texas, said.
And Senate Republican Whip John Thune of South Dakota, said the high court should be permitted to handle its internal affairs without congressional interference, The Hill noted.
"They're their own independent branch of our government," he said. "They have always set their own rules when it comes to the way they conduct themselves there. I prefer to leave it that way,"
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. a member of the Judiciary Committee, maintained that Durbin "is trying to pressure the court."
"You read the letter … all the rhetoric — 'loss of faith in your institution' — it's trying to turn the screws on him," he said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who also sits on the Judiciary panel, has suggested issuing a subpoena for Thomas and his friend Harlan Crow.
And Sen. Chris Van Hollen D-Md., who chairs the Senate Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, which provides oversight of the Supreme Court's appropriations, said, "We're exploring all our options right now," when asked if he would call Roberts to testify, according to The Hill.
In a statement April 7, besides noting Crow had no business before the court, Thomas said he consulted court members and others and was advised the hospitality was not reportable.
The Associated Press, citing a judiciary policy guide, confirmed Thomas' assertion, noting that food, lodging, or entertainment received as "personal hospitality of any individual" does not need to be reported if it is at the individual's residence. The AP noted that the guidelines do not exempt "transportation that substitutes for commercial transportation."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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