Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and other House progressives are calling to investigate and potentially impeach Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas over his wife’s texts to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on January 6, 2020.
Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY) have expressed support for possible impeachment proceedings against Thomas. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has called for Thomas’s impeachment outright despite lacking evidence of any involvement by Thomas in his wife’s work.
Ocasio-Cortez, arguably the most outspoken of the three, initially broached impeaching Thomas in comments to Axios on Tuesday morning before taking her calls to social media.
“Consider this: When we pushed for the 1st impeachment of Trump for illegally withholding aid to Ukraine, initially many Dems internally resisted it,” Ocasio-Cortez began a lengthy Twitter thread comparing former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment to the Thomas controversy. “We were chastised for being ‘unrealistic,’ that the public wouldn’t be able to follow the plot, and that it would lead nowhere.”
The congresswoman went on to claim that Trump’s impeachment proved to be politically advantageous to Democrats, despite “naysayers and those claiming to be ‘politically savvier.’” She argued a parallel situation is happening now with Thomas.
“Often what seems like the righteous yet politically foolish thing short term ends up being the wisest choice long term. In politics, oftentimes the best decisions can also carry greatest risk. All this is to say we shouldn’t dismiss actions available re: Clarence Thomas’ acts,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“Subpoenas, investigations, and impeachment should absolutely be on the table. We shouldn’t have to think twice about that. We must go where the facts take us. A failure to act puts the imperiling of democracy squarely on *our* shoulders. It’s our duty to defend it,” she concluded.
Jones, who serves vice chair of the House Judiciary subcommittee overseeing federal courts, told Axios that, “all options have to be on the table.”
“There is a robust, distinct role for the Judiciary Committee to do its own investigation,” he said. “My intention is for the Judiciary Committee, or at least the subcommittee on courts, to do precisely that.”
Omar came out in favor of impeaching Thomas last week, tweeting bluntly Thursday, “Clarence Thomas needs to be impeached.”
The progressive outcry against Thomas began last week after a cache of messages Virginia Thomas, the justice’s wife, sent Meadows on January 6 and in the months prior were revealed. The messages showed Thomas urged the top Trump official to continue fighting “the greatest Heist of our History,” referring to the 2020 election. The messages were included in documents Meadows turned over to the House committee investigating January 6.
Democrats and critics have used the texts to claim Justice Thomas should have recused himself on a case over whether documents from former President Donald Trump’s administration fell under executive privilege and whether the January 6 committee could obtain them.
