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- Clarence Thomas took at least 38 other previously undisclosed luxury trips, ProPublica reported.
- The outlet estimates that Thomas has accepted millions in trips he didn't report since joining the court.
- According to its latest story, Thomas accepted a Bahamas trip, a stay at a luxury Jamaica resort, and premium seats to games.
Justice Clarence Thomas has likely accepted millions in undisclosed luxury trips since he joined the Supreme Court in 1991, ProPublica estimates.
According to ProPublica's report, Thomas has accepted at least 38 other premium vacations that he did not previously disclose. Thomas accepted everything from a yacht trip around the Bahamas and a stay at a luxury resort in Jamaica to premium seats at college and professional sporting events.
The sheer level of what Thomas has accepted is staggering, a former federal judge responsible for financial disclosures told the outlet.
"In my career I don't remember ever seeing this degree of largesse given to anybody," Jeremy Fogel, a former federal judge who served on a committee that review judicial financial disclosures, told the non-profit news outlet. "I think it's unprecedented."
Thomas, according to a report published Thursday, accepted a Bahamas trip from oil billionaire Paul "Tony" Novelly, Miami Dolphins and Florida Panthers tickets from then-owner H. Wayne Huizenga, and stays at picturesque properties owned by former Berkshire Hathway executive David Sokol. Huizenga also reportedly allowed Thomas access to a Gary Player-designed, exclusive golf club that was once considered the most sought-after invitation of its kind.
Sokol also provided Thomas with flights and all-access passes to see his beloved Nebraska Cornhuskers, according to ProPublica. Thomas' wife Virginia "Ginni" is from Nebraska and the justice has become an avowed fan of the Big Ten school.
ProPublica has published a series of reports that have raised questions about whether Justice Thomas has properly disclosed the gifts, flights, and posh trips he's received from billionaire friends. While Thomas has not been accused of wrongdoing, the reports have triggered a scandal over the possibility that the nation's wealthy elite can wine and dine justices at their whim. Thomas has previously stated that he was advised some of the trips did not fall under the requirements of what needed to be disclosed.
Congressional Democrats have responded with a call to impose stricter ethical standards on the nation's highest court. The rest of the federal judiciary follows specific ethical rules, the justices are only covered by far more limited standards. In response, Justice Samuel Alito declared that Congress had no powerto impose ethical requirements on the court. Republicans have strongly opposed Democrats' efforts, arguing they are nothing more than a targeted attack on conservative justices such as Thomas.
A spokesperson for the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a request for comment.