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(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Of all the many, many, many, many severe ethical lapses leveled against Justice Clarence Thomas, the loan he received from a health care executive to buy an RV is… one of them. Thomas, known to leverage his RV habit as proof that he’s just a regular down-to-earth guy, purchased camper for over a quarter million dollars provided, in whole or in part, by executive Anthony Welters. Welter and Thomas characterized this as a “loan,” which raises ethical obligations of its own, but the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not Thomas took advantage of his famous support of loan forgiveness… as long as it’s solely for his benefit.

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When Senators Ron Wyden and Sheldon Whitehouse asked Thomas about this loan and how much of it turned out to be a gift, the justice’s attorney Elliot Berke responded: “As I stated publicly on October 26, 2023, the Thomases made all payments to Mr. Welters on a regular basis until the terms of the agreement were satisfied in full.”

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As both Wyden and Whitehouse are attorneys and capable of basic reading comprehension, they noticed that this response was not “yes, Thomas paid it off completely.” They have now politely asked Berke to cut the shit.

Unfortunately, the response you provided on Justice Thomas’s behalf was a non-answer. Instead of clearly stating the extent to which Justice Thomas repaid the loan, you stated that Justice Thomas made “payments to Mr. Welters on a regular basis until the terms of the agreement were satisfied in full.” As I’m sure you are aware, “satisfied” could have any number of meanings in the context of repayment, forgiveness, or discharge of debt. There should be a simple answer as to whether Justice Thomas had hundreds of thousands in debt forgiven so that he could retain possession of a luxury motor coach that doubles as a second home.

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Of course there is a simple answer to this question. But it’s probably one that Thomas knows raises legal disclosure issues and potentially tax issues if Thomas carried his evasiveness in statutorily required financial reporting over to his taxes.

Maybe Berke will quickly respond “yes, Thomas paid the whole $267,230 worth of principle.”

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Don’t hold your breath though.

Wow, Clarence Thomas Sure Loves Debt Forgiveness When He Benefits From It [Balls and Strikes]

Earlier: Clarence Thomas RV Financed By Rich Health Care Executive In Least Shocking Development Ever
Paragon Of Virtue Clarence Thomas Has Been Given Half Million In Value Off The Record And It Totally Hasn’t Impacted His Judging. Not One Bit. Nope.
That Perfectly Innocent Way One Funnels Money To The Spouse Of A Supreme Court Justice While Trying To Avoid A Paper Trail
It’s Going To Be A Lot Harder For Clarence Thomas To Justify The Most Recent Ethics Scandal
Appearance Of Bribery: Political Megadonor Wants Us To Believe He Bought And Improved Justice’s Mom’s House Off The Record Because Of History Or Something

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Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.

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Clarence Thomas, Courts, Government, Legal Ethics, Supreme Court