Clarence Thomas responds after new accusations claim he violated law by accepting luxury 'gifts'

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is denying impropriety after he was accused of "secretly" accepting luxury vacations financed by a billionaire Republican.

What are the allegations?

ProPublica claimed in an exposé published on Thursday that Thomas "has accepted luxury trips virtually every year" from billionaire Republican Harlan Crow "without disclosing them."

"The extent and frequency of Crow’s apparent gifts to Thomas have no known precedent in the modern history of the U.S. Supreme Court," the outlet claimed.

The report bolstered its apparently damning allegations by claiming Thomas' failure to disclose the alleged gifts "appears to violate a law passed after Watergate that requires justices, judges, members of Congress and federal officials to disclose most gifts."

The allegations led to new calls for Thomas to resign or be impeached. Democrats have repeatedly targeted him over the decades because he is the court's most conservative jurist.

How did Thomas respond?

Thomas released a statement on Friday refuting allegations of ethical or legal violations.

Refuting the framing of the story, Thomas explained that he and Crow are close personal friends and that such "personal hospitality" is not usually reported.

"Harlan and Kathy Crow are among our dearest friends, and we have been friends for over twenty-five years. As friends do, we have joined them on a number of family trips during the more than quarter century we have known them," the statement said. "Early in my tenure at the Court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable."

Thomas added that he has "always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines" throughout his tenure on the Supreme Court.

"These guidelines are now being changed, as the committee of the Judicial Conference responsible for financial disclosure for the entire federal judiciary just this past month announced new guidance. And, it is, of course, my intent to follow this guidance in the future," he said.

A statement from Harlan and Kathy Crow corroborated what Thomas said.

Their statement said they have been "very dear friends" with the Thomases since 1996 and have repeatedly extended them the same "hospitality" that they give to any of their close friends. The statement added that the Thomases "never asked for any of this hospitality" and explicitly denied that Justice Thomas has ever discussed his work with them.

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