AOC calls for Justice Clarence Thomas’ resignation over wife’s revealing texts

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should resign.
• A report from The Washington Post revealed that Thomas’ wife sent texts to Mark Meadow to challenge the 2020 election.
• AOC called on her fellow Democrats to consider impeachment if he doesn’t resign.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is calling for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ resignation. The Democratic New York congresswoman tweeted that Thomas could face impeachment for what she believes is a pattern of ethical breaches.

“Clarence Thomas should resign,” she wrote on Twitter. “If not, his failure to disclose income from right-wing organizations, recuse himself from matters involving his wife, and his vote to block the Jan 6th commission from key information must be investigated and could serve as grounds for impeachment.” 

AOC is the fifth House Democrat to intensify ethical scrutiny of Thomas amid controversial reports that surfaced last week. It was revealed that his wife, Ginni, sent text messages to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows urging him to help overturn former President Donald Trump’s electoral defeat. 

The reports raised new questions about Thomas’ refusal to recuse himself from related cases before the Supreme Court. The cases included at least 10 rulings related to the last presidential election.

In January, Thomas was the only justice who rejected an 8-1 ruling, clearing the way for House investigators probing the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection to obtain Trump-era White House records. That ruling has drawn the sharpest criticism.

Last week, Thomas’ vote attracted renewed criticism following the revelation that his wife, Virginia Thomas, sent dozens of text messages to Meadows. The exchange appeared to show her planning on how to install Trump for a second term. Ginni described Trump’s loss to President Joe Biden as an “obvious fraud” and “the greatest heist of our history.”

Calls for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from future cases involving disputes over the 2020 election and Jan. 6 insurrection are growing. AOC and others have gone further by calling for his resignation or impeachment.

Unlike federal court judges, Supreme Court justices are not bound by a code of conduct. They can decide for themselves whether recusal is appropriate.

Source: The Hill