Ginni Thomas appeared before the January 6 Committee on Thursday, and while a number of left-leaning outlets were quick to report on her belief that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen,” they failed to include her opening remarks in their reports.
Prior to taking questions from the committee, Thomas delivered a statement preemptively and adamantly refuting the suggestion that her political opinions informed any decisions made from the bench by her husband, Justice Clarence Thomas.
Journalist Emily Miller detailed Thomas’ statement in a thread on Twitter, noting that she had opened by thanking the committee for giving her time to recover from hip surgery and by warning the members that any 2020 election-related activities she had participated in had been “minimal and mainstream.”
Thomas then pivoted to address concerns about her husband, saying, “I am concerned that there may be more than a few questions about my husband’s work, which I do not believe is within the scope of this committee’s jurisdiction.”
She went on to explain that her personal involvement in politics and public policy predated her relationship with Justice Thomas, whom she met in 1986.
4. Ginni Thomas to J6: Since I was the Nebraska College Republican Chair in my twenties, long before I met my husband in 1986, I have been active in political/public policy work.
— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) September 30, 2022
“Moreover, while I have a law degree, I am not licensed to practice law, nor have I ever practiced law, nor have I ever worked on any litigation at the Supreme Court or any court for that matter. I work only in the political lane,” Thomas continued.
She added that Justice Thomas, since he became a judge in 1990, had not worked in the political arena — and although they had been together, their careers had remained separate.
6. Ginni Thomas to J6: As Justice Breyer said this last week, it is 2022 and women can have professional and separate careers from their judicial spouses.
Since he became a judge in 1990, my husband has only worked in the legal arena, not politics.
— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) September 30, 2022
“I can guarantee that my husband has never spoken with me about pending cases at the Court,” she said. “It’s an iron-clad rule in our house. Additionally, he is uninterested in politics. And I generally do not discuss with him my day-to-day work in politics, the topics I am working on, who I am calling, emailing, texting, or meeting.”
8. Ginni Thomas to J6: Additionally, he is uninterested in politics. And I generally do not discuss with him my day-to-day work in politics, the topics I am working on, who I am calling, emailing, texting, or meeting.
— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) September 30, 2022
Thomas went on to say that she had not discussed any of her activities related to the 2020 election — either before it happened or in the weeks and months after — with Justice Thomas. She also said that she had not been involved with any of the legal challenges that followed.
Thomas concluded with a direct dig at the committee, saying, “And I know he was completely unaware of my texts with Mark Meadows until this Committee leaked them to the press while he was in a hospital bed fighting an infection. Let me also add, it is laughable for anyone who knows my husband to think I could influence his jurisprudence — the man is independent and stubborn, with strong character traits of independence and integrity.”
12. Ginni Thomas to J6: Let me also add, it is laughable for anyone who knows my husband to think I could influence his jurisprudence – the man is independent and stubborn, with strong character traits of independence and integrity.
— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) September 30, 2022
“I am now happy to answer questions,” Thomas concluded.