Washington (AFP) - US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was asked Thursday to testify to a Senate committee after news reports raised questions about conservative Justice Clarence Thomas's dealings with a real estate tycoon.
In a letter the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Democrats, asked Roberts or another justice of his choosing to appear on May 2 to testify publicly regarding the ethical rules governing the nine justices.
Since the last time justices appeared before Congress in 2011, also on ethics questions, "there has been a steady stream of revelations regarding justices falling short of the ethical standards expected," wrote Senator Richard Durbin, chair of the committee.
"These problems were already apparent back in 2011, and the court's decade-long failure to address them has contributed to a crisis of public confidence," Durbin wrote.
Thomas, the longest-serving justice on the court and one of its most conservative voices, came under scrutiny after reports by the independent ProPublica news outlet on him and his wife Ginni taking luxury trips with billionaire Harlan Crow.
Thomas, who had crafted an image of a humble justice who prefers to travel around the US in his camper, went island-hopping in 2019 in Indonesia on Crow's 162-foot (49 meter) yacht after flying to Asia on Crow's private jet, ProPublica reported.
Thomas has also vacationed at Crow's ranch in Texas and "typically spends about a week every summer" at Crow's private resort in New York's Adirondack mountains, it said.
Crow, a major donor to the Republican party and conservative groups, also bought properties in Savannah, Georgia from the justice, including the home occupied by Thomas's mother, ProPublica reported.
But Thomas didn't report any of the transactions or gifts, according to ProPublica and other media reports.
In an April 7 statement, Thomas defended the relationship with Crow, and said he had understood that such "hospitality" from a good friend did not require reporting under official guidelines.
"These guidelines are now being changed," he noted.
"It is, of course, my intent to follow this guidance in the future."
However, Roberts could face more questions about the activities of both Thomases. When two justices were questioned by the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2011, a major focus was over the Thomases' relations with Crow and other powerful Republican donors.
A specific focus then was Crow's donation of $500,000 to fund Ginni Thomas's new Liberty Central advocacy group.
Roberts could also be asked about Ginni Thomas's role in former president Donald Trump's late-2020 campaign claiming, without evidence, that Joe Biden's election victory over him was fraudulent.
That campaign led directly to the January 6, 2021 assault on Congress by Trump's supporters.
