Why Clarence Thomas just became 'even more difficult' for Republicans 'to defend': analysis

ProPublica has published yet another damning report on U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — this time, reporting that Thomas, because of his overspending, had fallen into debt and lobbied members of Congress for a higher salary.

MSNBC's Steve Benen analyzes the report in a MaddowBlog column published on December 18, arguing that ProPublica has made Thomas "even more difficult" for Republicans to defend.

"Usually, when the U.S. Supreme Court has difficult years, it's because of controversial rulings or the departure of prominent jurists," Benen explains. "As 2023 comes to an end, it's fair to say the High Court has struggled mightily this year for institutional reasons. To a degree without modern precedent, the Supreme Court has confronted several tough-to-defend ethics controversies over the course of year — most notably, difficult questions surrounding Justice Clarence Thomas, many of which have been brought to the fore by reporting from ProPublica."

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Benen adds that according to ProPublica's December 18 report, Thomas urged Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Florida) to raise the Supreme Court justice's salaries in 2000 and said that "one or more" of them would retire if they weren't paid more. That conversation, Benen notes, "set off a flurry of activity across the judiciary and Capitol Hill."

"It's also a conversation that probably should not have happened," Benen argues. "Thomas' salary at the time was $173,600 — in inflation-adjusted terms, more than $300,000. He nevertheless made no secret of his desire to make more money, and privately pushed for an end to the ban on justices giving paid speeches."

According to ProPublica, Thomas was "hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt" at one point.

Benen stresses that ProPublica's report does nothing to give Thomas' critics a higher opinion of him.

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"So to recap, a sitting Supreme Court justice was facing financial strains; he privately pushed a member of Congress for a higher salary; his political allies were concerned about his possible retirement; and conservative billionaires starting providing him with previously undisclosed benefits and a more luxurious lifestyle," Benen explains. "Over the course of 2023, congressional Republicans have scrambled to defend Thomas, presenting a series of underwhelming and substance-free justifications in response to serious ethics allegations. The challenge for GOP lawmakers just became even more difficult."

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Steve Benen's full MSNBC column is available at this link.