{"id":3541,"date":"2022-04-01T17:22:12","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T17:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linksus.net\/pelosi-accuses-scotus-justice-thomass-wife-of-being-a-proud-contributor-to-a-coup-the-independent\/"},"modified":"2022-04-01T17:22:12","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T17:22:12","slug":"pelosi-accuses-scotus-justice-thomass-wife-of-being-a-proud-contributor-to-a-coup-the-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/2022\/04\/01\/pelosi-accuses-scotus-justice-thomass-wife-of-being-a-proud-contributor-to-a-coup-the-independent\/","title":{"rendered":"Pelosi accuses SCOTUS Justice Thomas\u2019s wife of being a \u2018proud contributor to a coup\u2019 – The Independent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in<\/span>Please refresh your browser to be logged in<\/span>
Speaker adds he never should have been appointed to court in the first place
Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium<\/a> section, under my profile
Speaker Nancy Pelosi<\/a> issued a withering condemnation of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas<\/a> on Thursday as it becomes clear that the highest court\u2019s ethical standards and practices are facing historic scrutiny.
At her weekly press briefing, the House Democratic leader told reporters that she never believed that Mr Thomas should have joined the Supreme Court in the first place, and added that his wife had been revealed as a \u201cadmitted and proud contributor to a coup of our country\u201d.
The remarks were some of the sharpest criticism issued so far by a high ranking Democratic leader as the fallout over text messages Ginni Thomas sent to then-White House<\/a> chief of staff Mark Meadows both prior to and following the January 6 attack continues.
\u201cDo you agree with members of your caucus that Clarence Thomas should resign?\u201d a reporter asked Ms Pelosi.
\u201cI don\u2019t think he ever should have been appointed in the first place,\u201d she said, rolling her eyes slightly. Democrats opposed Mr Thomas\u2019s confirmation after testimony from Anita Hill, a professor of law at Brandeis University, who accused Mr Thomas of sexual harassment.
\u201cI\u2019m not going to go to that,\u201d Ms Pelosi continued, referring to the question of whether Mr Thomas should resign.
Later, she remarked about his considerations surrounding recusal on cases related to the January 6 attack on Congress. Mr Thomas previously has shown no indication that he will do so, and was the sole justice to rule in favour of shielding the White House\u2019s communications \u2014 which may have included conversations between his wife and Donald Trump\u2019s closest advisers \u2014 with the House select committee investigating the attack.
\u201cWell, if your wife is an admitted and proud contributor to a coup of our country, maybe you should weigh that in your ethical standards,\u201d she quipped derisively.
\u201cWe have a call for the Supreme Court to have a code of ethics. They don\u2019t have a code of ethics…we don\u2019t know what their ethical standard is,\u201d Ms Pelosi added, referring to a Democrat-led effort to pass legislation establishing such a code of ethics enforced by federal law for the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court\u2019s oldest justice after retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, Mr Thomas was recently released from the hospital after a week of care for an unspecified infection and spent several days recovering from home, participating in Court proceedings remotely. The 73-year-old\u2019s condition was the centre of much speculation on social media, but little information has been released about his illness other than a statement from the Court confirming that he did not have Covid-19.
His wife\u2019s texts to Mark Meadows, the final White House chief of staff under Donald Trump, recently were made public as the January 6 committee\u2019s efforts to obtain more of Mr Meadows text messages and other communications from White House aides from the hours and days surrounding the attack. They illuminated Ms Thomas\u2019s role as a cheerleader and organiser of grassroots support for Mr Trump\u2019s false claims about election fraud and his 2020 defeat to Mr Biden, and portrayed the wife of a sitting justice on the nation\u2019s highest Court as a conspiracy-embracing political operative who was directly egging on an effort to overturn a fair election.
The image of Ms Thomas coupled with her husband\u2019s refusal to recuse himself on a case that is widely being condemned as a clear conflict of interest is dealing body blows to the public perception of the Court as an impartial, nonpolitical body and the ability of justices to police their own ethical procedures.
A number of Democrats have written to Mr Thomas and the Court\u2019s chief justice, John Roberts, demanding Mr Thomas\u2019s recusal on January 6-related cases going forward while others like progressive Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have gone further and stated that Mr Thomas should leave the Court willingly or not.
Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism
By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists
{{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{\/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{\/verifyErrors}}<\/p>\n

By clicking \u2018Create my account\u2019 you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our\u00a0Terms of use,<\/a>\u00a0Cookie policy<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy notice.<\/a>
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google\u00a0Privacy policy<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Terms of service<\/a>\u00a0apply.
Already have an account? sign in
By clicking \u2018Register\u2019 you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our\u00a0Terms of use,<\/a>\u00a0Cookie policy<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy notice.<\/a>
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google\u00a0Privacy policy<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Terms of service<\/a>\u00a0apply.
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Virginia \u2018Ginni\u2019 Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
(Associated Press)
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in<\/span>Please refresh your browser to be logged in<\/span>
Log in
New to The Independent?
Or if you would prefer:
Want an ad-free experience?