Dear John,

Pop quiz: What do Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Senator Kyrsten Sinema, and Senator Joe Manchin have in common?

If you said, “All three received gifts from billionaire Republican benefactor Harlan Crow,” you are correct! I’d say, “you win,” but the truth is we're all actually losing.

The luxury cruises on a mega-yacht, private jet trips, and private resort vacations received -- and never reported -- by Justice Thomas are designed to influence the Supreme Court, but it isn’t the only institution this billionaire is trying to buy with his money. He also has his eyes on the U.S. Senate.

FEC filings show that both Sinema and Manchin benefited from Crow’s billions, too. Sinema even had to return a portion of his donations because he exceeded the legal limits.

Billionaires shouldn’t be able to buy Supreme Court Justices or U.S. Senators. Tell the Senate Ethics Committee: Investigate donations received by Clarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, and Kyrsten Sinema now!

Let’s be clear, it’s not like Harlan Crow is the kind of guy one would want to hang out with either.

It’s reported that Crow has an unusual fascination with at least one authoritarian dictator: Hitler. Evidently Crow loves to collect Nazi artifacts, including a set of Nazi-logo linens and a copy of Mein Kampf signed by Adolf Hitler himself.^[1]

It gets worse.

The Dallas Morning News reports that Crow has a “Garden of Evil” in his backyard that includes statues of even more dictators and despots, like Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, Yugoslav dictator Josip Broz Tito, and Russia’s Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin.^[2]

And this is someone Justice Thomas and Senators Sinema and Manchin want supporting them, giving them gifts and donations? Probably not... which would explain why Justice Thomas didn’t report Crow’s gifts like he was legally required to do. Makes you wonder what else these three might be hiding?

The Senate has a good way to find out. Tell the Senate Ethics Committee: Investigate donations received by Clarence Thomas, Joe Manchin, and Kyrsten Sinema by adding your name now!

Thank you for doing your part to keep our Senators and Justices accountable, including to those of us who don’t have a billion dollars.

Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action

^{[1] Clarence Thomas’ Billionaire Buddy Has a Vast Collection of Hitler Paintings, Nazi Memorabilia
[2] History abounds inside Harlan Crow’s home}