Republican Missouri Senator Josh Hawley dismissed calls for Clarence Thomas’s impeachment over his wife’s communications with Trump administration officials.
Hawley told CNN Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju that Thomas should not recuse himself from Supreme Court cases related to the January 6 Capitol riot or face impeachment over his wife Ginni’s text messages, saying that Mrs. Thomas is an “independent, adult woman.” Hawley dismissed the idea that Thomas was responsible, calling it “misogynistic.”
“Asked Josh Hawley about Ginni Thomas’ texts to Meadows seeking to overturn elections, and he said that it’s ‘kind of misogynistic’ to suggest that her husband — Clarence Thomas — should recuse from Jan. 6 cases. He wouldn’t weigh in on her texts, noting she’s a ‘private citizen,'” Raju tweeted Tuesday.
Raju continued, noting that high-ranking Democrats have claimed that there is a conflict of interest and that Thomas should recuse himself from cases about the Capitol riot. “[Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick] Durbin and [Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard] Blumenthal said he should recuse,” Raju tweeted. “Blumenthal told us he believes Senate Judiciary should probe the matter, and added that judges should recuse if there’s even an appearance of a conflict.”
Dems say there’s a conflict and he should recuse from Jan. 6 cases. Durbin and Blumenthal said he should recuse. Blumenthal told us he believes Senate Judiciary should probe the matter, and added that judges should recuse if there’s even an appearance of a conflict
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 28, 2022
Raju followed up his tweet with Hawley’s response. “She’s an independent, adult woman, it just seems a little strange to me all of these calls for her husband to be what, like, minding her better? Frankly, I think it’s kind of misogynistic,” Hawley said, as quoted by Raju. “She’s a private individual. He’s a justice on the US Supreme Court, but I think this idea that he is somehow automatically responsible for everything [she] says – what does that mean? Does she have to get his permission?” he added.
Asked if he has concern over the texts, Hawley said: “She’s a private individual. He’s a justice on the US Supreme Court, but I think this idea that he is somehow automatically responsible for everything he says – what does that mean? Does she have to get his permission?”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 28, 2022
A number of prominent Senate Democrats, including Blumenthal, Durbin, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have called for Thomas to recuse himself over text messages sent by his wife to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. The texts reportedly urged him to continue fighting against the 2020 election results, which she called “the greatest Heist of our History.”
The texts were revealed in documents obtained by the House Committee investigating January 6.
“For the good of the court I think he should recuse himself from those cases,” Durbin said, adding that Ginni Thomas’s texts “really creates an obvious conflict” for the Justice.
Schumer concurred.
“The information we know right now raises serious questions about how close Justice Thomas and his wife were to [the events of January 6],” Schumer said at a press conference Tuesday, adding that, in his opinion, “there should be some kind of code of ethics for Supreme Court justices.”
Progressive Democrats in the House of Representatives, meanwhile, have gone further, calling for Thomas to be impeached and removed outright.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), explained her reasoning in a long Twitter thread Tuesday. “[We] shouldn’t dismiss actions available re: Clarence Thomas’ acts,” AOC wrote. “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.”
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