AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
- Harlan Crow's interest in Nazi memorabilia is "bizare," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said.
- During a Daily Show interview, the New York congresswoman commented on Clarence Thomas' benefactor.
- But Ocasio-Cortez also called the memorabilia issue a "distraction" from corruption on the bench.
Billionaire GOP megadonor Harlan Crow's interest in Nazi memorabilia is "bizare," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, adding "you also don't keep the linens around."
Crow, the benefactor to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, keeps a collection of Adolf Hitler artifacts and Nazi memorabilia at his Texas home, including a signed copy of Mein Kampf and a garden full of statues of 20th Century despots, the Washingtonian reported. The magazine showed a photo of a set of Nazi linens displayed at his home.
"Who does that?" Ocasio-Cortez said during a Daily Show interview with host Jordan Klepper.
Crow is in the spotlight after a ProPublica report detailed how he has funded luxury vacations for Thomas over the past 20 years that Thomas didn't disclose. He recently told The Dallas Morning News that any idea that he likes Nazism "is insane," and that he keeps things from "bad guys" because "we must remember."
Ocasio-Cortez called the memorabilia issue a "distraction."
She said Supreme Court justices shouldn't receive "money from people." ProPublica reported that Thomas enjoyed trips and Crow's private jet and superyacht, though Thomas said he was told it wasn't necessary to publicly report the $500,000 in trips.
"This is why we pay salaries to public servants," she said. "And if they want to live that kind of lifestyle, then they can resign from the court. They can retire."