Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) called on the Department of Justice to investigate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas after multiple reports surfaced regarding alleged undisclosed gifts.
Blumenthal made the comment during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday that focused on the ethics of the Supreme Court. The Connecticut senator said reports of Thomas's alleged ethics violations warranted a federal investigation.
DEMOCRATIC SENATOR CALLS ON HARLAN CROW TO REVEAL GIFTS TO CLARENCE THOMAS
"We have means to compel documents, witnesses who have relevant information," Blumenthal said. "There ought to be a proper investigation, and in my view, the Department of Justice has a really sacrosanct, critical responsibility here.”
Thomas has faced several allegations in recent weeks related to financial disclosures. The justice allegedly went on trips with his friend Harlan Crow, a Dallas-based real estate developer and GOP donor. A ProPublica report caused a nationwide stir after it revealed that Thomas allegedly accepted invites to "luxury trips" and paid vacations. The outlet reported that he traveled to such locations as the Bohemian Grove and Indonesia.
Thomas also faced scrutiny after allegations arose that he did not disclose a real estate transaction with Crow, in which the mega-donor bought Thomas's childhood home in 2014 to create a museum in the justice's honor. The sale was never reported, and that led to speculation that Thomas may have violated federal law that requires justices to disclose most real estate sales over $1,000.
He has defended himself, saying he "sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the court, was not reportable."
The revelation of these alleged trips has damaged the court's public reputation. A poll released on Tuesday by Navigator Research showed that nearly half of Americans hold unfavorable views of the Supreme Court.
When the Thomas "gifts scandal" came out, the public's unfavorable view of the court rose from 41% in February/March to 48% in March/April.
Several Democratic senators and representatives have called for anything ranging from inquiries to impeachment.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) even said she would draft impeachment letters for Thomas if other lawmakers did not take the initiative.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said at the time of the ProPublica report that Thomas's behavior was "inconsistent with the ethical standards" that the public expects of the Supreme Court justices and show a "conflict of interest."
Durbin sent a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts inviting him to testify before the panel for Tuesday's hearing on ethics reform. Roberts declined to testify.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has backed calls for the Justice Department to get involved.
Attorney General Merrick Garland did not offer a direct comment on whether the Justice Department will look into Supreme Court justices failing to abide by disclosure requirements.
“As a general matter, as a federal judge, I have always believed that the judiciary should follow and be held to the highest ethical standards," Garland said. "That continues to be my belief."
On the other side, some Republicans have blasted Democrats for violating the sanctity of the Supreme Court.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on Tuesday the committee should not investigate Thomas's undisclosed gifts.
"This is something the court should handle," Graham said. "I think there's a separation of powers issue. There's an orchestrated effort to come after the Roberts Court to delegitimize it."