Thomas failed to disclose real estate deal with GOP donor who also paid for lavish trips: report

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose a 2014 real estate deal he made with a wealthy Republican donor who also paid for lavish trips for him over the years, ProPublica reported on Thursday. 

The outlet reported that a company belonging to Texas billionaire Harlan Crow bought a series of properties in a row on a residential street in Savannah, Ga., including a single-story home and two vacant lots. The company bought the properties from Thomas, his mother and his late brother’s family for $133,363, according to a state tax document and a deed dated Oct. 15, 2014, that the outlet obtained. 

Thomas’s mother was living at the house, and contractors implemented renovations of a new carport, a fixed roof, a new fence and new gates soon after the sale was completed. The renovations cost tens of thousands of dollars. 

Federal law requires certain officials, including Supreme Court justices, to disclose information about most real estate transactions worth more than $1,000, but Thomas never listed the deal on his annual disclosure documents. 

Four legal experts told ProPublica that Thomas appears to have violated the law by not disclosing the deal. 

The report comes after another that ProPublica released last week detailing multiple luxury trips that Thomas received over a period of years from Crow, who has donated millions of dollars to conservative causes. Thomas also did not disclose these trips on his annual financial disclosure forms. 

Thomas defended himself following the earlier report by saying that he “was advised” that he did not need to disclose the trips because they came from the “personal hospitality” of a “close, personal” friend. 

ProPublica reported that Thomas did not respond to detailed questions for its most recent story on the real estate deal. 

The Hill has reached out to the Supreme Court for comment. 

Crow told ProPublica in a statement that the company, Savannah Historic Developments, bought the home to help preserve it as part of a historic area of Savannah. He said he approached the Thomas family about his intention to maintain the “historic site” so future generations could learn about Thomas’s life. 

“My intention is to one day create a public museum at the Thomas home dedicated to telling the story of our nation’s second black Supreme Court Justice, who was born in Pin Point, Georgia and later raised in Savannah,” Crow said. 

He said the Thomas property and surrounding properties were purchased at market rate based on factors like the size, quality and livability of the dwellings. He said improvements were made to the house to “preserve its long-term viability and accessibility to the public.” 

Crow said the company built one new house and made it available to a local police officer, and the other lots were later sold to a “vetted builder who was committed to improving the quality of the neighborhood and preserving its historical integrity.” 

Experts in ethics law told ProPublica that Crow’s intentions do not take away from Thomas’s obligation to report the sale.