New findings that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas apparently failed to repay at least a “significant portion” of a $267,230 loan he received from a wealthy benefactor prompted Senate Democrats on Thursday to step up their criticism of the court’s lack of an ethics code.
A personal loan that Thomas received in 1999 from longtime friend Anthony Welters to buy a Prevost Marathon motor coach was forgiven before the principal was fully repaid, according to a report by Senate Democrats on Wednesday based on a review of loan documents provided by Welters.
“With each new report, the American people realize how many lavish, undisclosed gifts Justice Thomas has received from his gaggle of fawning billionaires,” Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin wrote on Thursday in a social media post.