All or most of the $267,000 loan obtained Supreme CourtJudge Clarence Thomas Buying high-end passenger cars appears to be excused but raises tax and ethics questions, according to a new report from Senate Democrats.
The report, released Wednesday by Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee, said Thomas’ longtime friend Anthony “Tony” Welters provided the loan in 1999, nine years after he allegedly made interest-only payments. He canceled the debt.
The existence of the loan is first reported The New York Times during the summer. The Democratic committee conducted an investigation based on the New York Times report.
Thomas, 75, has been in a Pay more attention to ethics He is on trial before the Supreme Court over his undisclosed travels and other ties to wealthy conservative supporters. The courts, the only branch of the federal judiciary with a formal code of conduct, are debating whether to adopt an ethics code and, in recent months, All three justices expressed support for such a move.
Thomas borrowed money from health care executive Vertes to purchase 40ft modified tour bus In it, he toured the country with his wife, Ginni. Thomas talked about living in Walmart parking lots and RV parks, which are “what the community used to be like.”
When the loan was taken, Thomas said in a handwritten note on Supreme Court letterhead that the agreement was to pay 7.5 percent interest annually and repay the money over five years, the report said. In 2004, the time to repay the loan was extended to 2014.
Documents that Vertes voluntarily provided to the committee showed that he had the loan forgiven in 2008, the report said. Welters provided the committee with a copy of a $20,042 payment Thomas made in 2000.
“Welters forgiven Thomas’s loan balance in recognition of Thomas’ payments, which Welters described as interest-only payments in excess of the original loan amount,” the report states. The nine-year interest-only payment totaled approximately is $180,000, which is much less than the loan amount. Vertes did not explain this difference.
Debt forgiven or canceled counts as tax revenue, the report said. Additionally, Thomas never included the forgiven debt in his annual financial disclosures.
“Judge Thomas should have told the committee exactly how much debt was forgiven and whether he correctly reported the loan forgiveness on his tax returns,” committee chairman Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in a statement. situation and paid all taxes owed.”
Thomas did not immediately respond to a request from a court spokesman.
A series of reports by the investigative news website ProPublica revealed that Thomas had accepted undisclosed luxury trips and other hospitality from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow for years.
Crowe also bought a house in Georgia thomas mother Keep living and pay for two years private school tuition The children raised by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas.
Earlier this year, Thomas did report three private trips he took in 2022 that were paid for by Crowe after the federal judiciary changed its guidelines for reporting travel. He reported no early travels.
ProPublica reports Judge Samuel Alito Nor was it disclosed that he took a private trip to Alaska in 2008 that was paid for by two wealthy Republican donors, one of whom has repeatedly filed lawsuits in court.
The Associated Press also report The one in July Judge Sonia SotomayorWith the help of her staff, college visits have boosted her book sales over the past decade.
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