Dear John,
"Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver has an offer for corrupt Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. He will give Thomas $1 MILLION annually if Thomas resigns from the Supreme Court. And to sweeten the deal? He's throwing in a bonus $2.4 million tour bus.1 While this might feel like a comedy show gimmick, its basis is upsettingly close to the truth. Thomas's corruption—accepting lavish, undisclosed gifts, enriching himself while serving on the court in ways that demonstrate conflicts of interest and poor judgment—is well documented. And despite mounting public pressure, Thomas refuses to step down and Congress has yet to impeach him. So Oliver found a third option.
Ever since his confirmation hearings more than 30 years ago, the public has questioned Thomas's ethics and behavior. His abuse of power, his conflicts of interest, and his secrecy about his financial and political ties make him unfit to serve. But he remains on the highest court in our country, ruling on decisions that impact millions of people across our country, like reproductive rights, student loan debt, and affirmative action.
Nearly 1.3 million MoveOn members have signed a petition calling on Thomas to resign, but he has yet to do it.2 But John Oliver has offered another solution—and while it may seem funny, it's no more outlandish than the grift and corruption Thomas is currently getting away with in plain sight.
Sign the petition to urge Thomas to accept yet another lavish gift and step down from the court.
Thomas has shown blatant disregard for the law, ethics, his reputation, the reputation of the Supreme Court, and the rights of the American people. One thing that does seem to motivate Thomas is money. Back in 2000, Thomas complained about his salary—at the time it was $173,000—and implied he might leave the Supreme Court. And gifts started rolling in.3
Thirty-eight vacations. Twenty-six private jet flights. Eight flights by helicopter. Twelve VIP passes to sports events. Luxury vacations in Florida and Jamaica. And that's just what was undisclosed—against the Supreme Court ethics rules.4
Tell Thomas to accept John Oliver's offer and step down from the Supreme Court NOW!
The value of the gifts he has received from Harlan Crow—who paid for Thomas's vacations, his mother's house, and his nephew's tuition—and other megadonors over the years is in the millions, even while Crow has bankrolled issue organizations whose causes have come before the court. He even accepted a loan from a health care executive to purchase a luxury RV, and then had a significant portion of that loan forgiven. Meanwhile, Thomas ruled against student debt relief for everyday Americans.5
Thomas has abused his position—from refusing to recuse himself from cases regarding his wife's involvement in the attempt to overturn the 2020 election to crusading on behalf of his right-wing allies to overturn abortion access and so much more.
So far, despite faith in the Supreme Court being at a historic low, Thomas refuses to resign.6 Thomas has only 30 days to accept Oliver's offer. Click here to add your name to the petition, and then share with three friends to help spread the word.
Thanks for all you do.
–MoveOn
| P.S. It’s going to take all of us to come together and defeat MAGA to win the House, Senate, and White House in 2024. Sign up today to join millions of MoveOn members organizing to turn out voters in key battleground states and districts. |
Sources:
1. "John Oliver to Clarence Thomas: Drive Away from SCOTUS in a New, $2.4 Million Motorcoach!" Rolling Stone, February 19, 2024
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/john-oliver-clarence-thomas-million-motorcoach-supreme-court-1234970879/
2. "Impeach Justice Clarence Thomas," MoveOn, accessed February 21, 2024
https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/clarence-thomas-must-go
3. "A 'Delicate Matter': Clarence Thomas' Private Complaints About Money Sparked Fears He Would Resign," ProPublica, December 18, 2023
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-money-complaints-sparked-resignation-fears-scotus
4. "Thomas accepted more gifts from billionaire benefactors, new ProPublica report says," NPR, August 10, 2023
https://www.npr.org/2023/08/10/1193162713/clarence-thomas-supreme-court-gifts-disclosure
5. "A 'Delicate Matter': Clarence Thomas' Private Complaints About Money Sparked Fears He Would Resign," ProPublica, December 18, 2023
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-money-complaints-sparked-resignation-fears-scotus
6. "Trust in Supreme Court fell to lowest point in 50 years after abortion decision, poll shows," AP News, May 17, 2023
https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-poll-abortion-confidence-declining-0ff738589bd7815bf0eab804baa5f3d1
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