John Roberts sidesteps Senate request to discuss Clarence Thomas scandals

On Saturday, CNN reported that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has chosen to not voluntarily testify before senators who have questions about how the nation's highest court is dealing with the growing controversies swirling around Justice Clarence Thomas.

Since ProPublica reported that Thomas and his wife Ginni have been living the high life on billionaire conservative Harlan Crow's dime, more reports have followed about sketchy real estate deals and income from a company that appears to no longer exist.

With all of that casting a cloud over the court, Roberts has decided he doesn't feel the need to respond to a request from Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL)to answer some questions.

"Chief Justice John Roberts has declined to directly respond to a congressional request for his testimony at a Supreme Court ethics hearing next month about Justice Clarence Thomas’ alleged ethical lapses. Roberts instead referred the request from Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin to the Judicial Conference, which serves as the policy-making body of the federal courts," the report states before adding, "The Illinois Democrat had penned a letter last month urging Roberts to voluntarily testify in a hearing on Supreme Court ethics set to take place May 2."

CNN reports, "The Judicial Conference has already received a separate but similar letter from Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island," before adding, "Thomas’ relationship with GOP donor Harlan Crow is not the only ethics controversy in recent year that has brought scrutiny to the high court. Critics seized on Thomas’ participation in cases connected to the 2020 presidential election after CNN revealed last year that his wife, Ginni Thomas, had exchanged texts with Mark Meadows – then-President Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff – about Trump’s efforts to overturn the results."

You can read more here.