AOC ‘Open’ to Drafting Clarence Thomas Impeachment Article

During the Lever Time podcast Thursday, radical Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) renewed her calls for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to be impeached after a report detailed the justice’s relationship with a billionaire Republican donor — going so far as to say she will introduce articles of impeachment herself.

“Congress is out of session for the next week. And so that does give Democrats some time to strategize, and the way I feel about it is that, I do think articles need to be introduced,” said AOC. “If we decide strategically that the actual author of those articles and who introduces them may not be me, that’s fine, I will support impeachment. But I just think that if no one’s going to introduce it, I would certainly be open to doing so and drafting them myself,. I think this has gone far, far beyond any sort of acceptable standard in any democracy, let alone an American democracy.”

A ProPublica investigation found that Thomas’ close friendship with real estate developer Harlan Crow allowed him to accompany the Texas billionaire on luxury vacations on his private jet and yacht, as well as enjoy free stays on Crow’s vast vacation property, among other perks. He reportedly failed to disclose the vast majority of Crow’s gifts.

In a statement Friday, Thomas described Harlan and Kathy Crow as “among our dearest friends”:

As friends do, we have joined them on a number of family trips during the more than quarter century we have known them. Early in my tenure at the Court, I 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.

I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure, and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines. These guidelines are now being changed, as the committee of the Judicial Conference responsible for financial disclosure for the entire federal judiciary just this past month announced new guidance. And, it is, of course, my intent to follow this guidance in the future.