ST PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Congresswoman Betty McCollum is the latest Democrat to call for Justice Clarence Thomas's resignation following reports that his wife, Virginia Thomas, sent messages calling on White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to act to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
According to copies of the messages obtained by The Washington Post and CBS News, Virginia "Ginni" Thomas and Meadows exchanged 29 messages in the weeks after the vote in November 2020, as then-President Donald Trump continued making debunked claims about the election results. At the time the messages were being exchanged — 21 sent by her, eight sent in reply by Meadows — Trump and his top allies were still saying they planned to go to the Supreme Court to have its results voided.
According to the Associated Press, the texts do not directly reference Justice Thomas or the Supreme Court, but she has previously admitted to attending the Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally that before the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
Justice Thomas was also the lone dissenting voice when the Supreme Court ruled in January to allow a congressional committee access to presidential diaries, visitor logs, speech drafts and handwritten notes relating to the events of Jan. 6.
“As a member of the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Thomas holds one of the most crucial roles in defending our Constitution, our laws, and our democracy," Rep. McCollum said in a statement on Wednesday. "Virginia Thomas’s involvement in the attempt to overthrow the 2020 Presidential Election, and the subsequent efforts by Justice Thomas to cover up his wife’s actions, have rendered the Associate Justice ethically compromised and thus unfit to be a neutral arbiter of Justice."
On Tuesday, March 29, 2022, two dozen Democratic lawmakers, including Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, sent a letter to Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts asking Thomas to recuse himself from any future cases involving the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the Capitol.
Rep. McCollum's full statement reads:
The actions of Justice Thomas and his wife Virginia Thomas have undermined the Constitution and weakened our democracy,” McCollum said. “Virginia Thomas was in direct communication with the Trump White House in a conspiracy to undermine the peaceful transition of power from a free and fair Presidential election. Rather than disclose this conflict of interest and recuse himself from cases related to his wife’s involvement in the Big Lie, Justice Thomas took part in court rulings and voted to prevent the disclosure of White House communication logs. Justice Thomas also failed to disclose his wife’s $687,000 in income from the Heritage Foundation – a far right-wing organization that actively perpetuated election misinformation and is explicitly working to stop the investigation into the January 6th insurrection. Justice Thomas has repeatedly failed to meet the ethical obligations of recusal and disclosure expected of a federal judge, and the American people cannot trust him to serve on the highest court of the land.
As a member of the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Thomas holds one of the most crucial roles in defending our Constitution, our laws, and our democracy. Virginia Thomas’s involvement in the attempt to overthrow the 2020 Presidential Election, and the subsequent efforts by Justice Thomas to cover up his wife’s actions, have rendered the Associate Justice ethically compromised and thus unfit to be a neutral arbiter of Justice.
As such, I call on Justice Thomas to resign from the United States Supreme Court.
Justice Thomas was recently hospitalized after experiencing "flu-like symptoms" earlier this month. According to the court, Justice Thomas was treated for an infection with intravenous antibiotics.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist:
