Pence condemns 'appalling' assaults on 'principled jurist' Clarence Thomas

Former Vice President Mike Pence decried what he known as "malicious" assaults in opposition to Supreme Courtroom Justice Clarence Thomas as he faces elevated scrutiny over his relationship with a billionaire GOP megadonor.

Pence wrote a Twitter thread on Saturday vowing to face behind the embattled affiliate justice amid a flurry of criticism over stories that Harlan Crow, the donor in query, lined the prices of luxurious holidays and bought property from Thomas's household. He additionally paid the personal faculty tuition for the justice’s grandnephew, who Thomas as soon as mentioned he raised “as a son.” Thomas didn’t disclose any of those funds, purchases, or journeys.

DEMOCRATS SLAMMED FOR 'THREATENING' SUPREME COURT'S SECURITY IN EXCHANGE FOR ETHICS CODE

"Ever since his nomination to the Supreme Courtroom in 1991 Justice Thomas has been maliciously attacked by the Left, together with by then Sen. Joe Biden," Pence mentioned. "The assaults on his character are persevering with in the present day, and it’s appalling to see. I stand with Justice Clarence Thomas and name on each American to hitch me in defending this good man and principled jurist."

The previous vp went on to defend the Supreme Courtroom justice as "a person of integrity with an inspiring private story and has upheld the beliefs enshrined in our Structure all through his life with out compromise." He additionally included a hyperlink to My Grandfather's Son, Thomas's 2007 bestselling memoir.

Lawmakers have largely caught to celebration traces on the Thomas controversy, with Democrats up in arms over the undisclosed transactions and Republicans standing by the conservative justice.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL), who is thought for being reserved in his criticisms of the nation's highest court docket, has vowed to take some sort of motion on to the Thomas matter. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) who additionally serves on the influential panel, went so far as to name on the Justice Division to research Thomas over the Crow relationship.

On the Republican facet, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the Judiciary Committee's rating member, decried what he known as "a concentrated effort by the Left to delegitimize the court docket and to cherry-pick examples to make a degree" on the listening to. He additionally accused Democrats of making an attempt to "destroy" Thomas's popularity. Afterward, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) displayed posters of stories headlines about Thomas from left-wing publications and argued that these retailers had created "racist caricatures" of the justice.

Sens. Angus King (I-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) launched laws final week that may implement a stricter ethics code on Supreme Courtroom justices. Whether or not it may go with a 60 vote filibuster-proof majority is unclear. As is its destiny within the Home.