• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • Comment
  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

DeSantis transforms Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Usually wrong but never in doubt

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

Mobile Menu

  • Winnable House Races
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • Balloon Juice 2023 Pet Calendar (coming soon)
  • COVID-19 Coronavirus
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • War in Ukraine
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • 2021-22 Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Politics / Activist Judges! / Straight Up Corruption

Straight Up Corruption

by John Cole|  May 4, 202311:10 pm| 114 Comments

This post is in: Activist Judges!

FacebookTweetEmail

It’s hard to be shocked these days, but these Clarence and Ginni Thomas revelations are, in fact, shocking:

Conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo arranged for the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to be paid tens of thousands of dollars for consulting work just over a decade ago, specifying that her name be left off billing paperwork, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post.

In January 2012, Leo instructed the GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway to bill a nonprofit group he advises and use that money to pay Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the documents show. The same year, the nonprofit, the Judicial Education Project, filed a brief to the Supreme Court in a landmark voting rights case.

Leo, a key figure in a network of nonprofits that has worked to support the nominations of conservative judges, told Conway that he wanted her to “give” Ginni Thomas “another $25K,” the documents show. He emphasized that the paperwork should have “No mention of Ginni, of course.”

This is straight up bribery. The end. This man has no business on the court.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: «spy v. spy flyouts War for Ukraine Day 435: A Brief Update to Update Everyone on the Drone Strike
Next Post: Cold Grey Dawn Open Thread: We Have Not Heard the Last of ‘Proud Boy’ Enrique Tarrio »

Reader Interactions

  • Commenters
  • Filtered
  • Settings

Commenters

No commenters available.

  • Amir Khalid
  • Anyway
  • Ashley
  • Aussie Sheila
  • azlib
  • Betty Cracker
  • billcinsd
  • BlueGuitarist
  • BQuimby
  • Brent
  • Bruce K in ATH-GR
  • BruceFromOhio
  • Chetan Murthy
  • Dangerman
  • David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
  • different-church-lady
  • dmsilev
  • Frankensteinbeck
  • Fraud Guy
  • Jay
  • Jinchi
  • john (not mccain)
  • JPL
  • JWR
  • kalakal
  • Kay
  • Ken
  • Ksmiami
  • lowtechcyclist
  • Mai Naem mobile
  • Mallard Filmore
  • Manyakitty
  • Matt McIrvin
  • misterpuff
  • MomSense
  • mrmoshpotato
  • O. Felix Culpa
  • opiejeanne
  • patrick II
  • Princess
  • Quinerly
  • Raoul Paste
  • Redshift
  • Repatriated
  • Roger Moore
  • sab
  • scav
  • sdhays
  • Shalimar
  • tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)
  • TriassicSands
  • Turgidson
  • Urza
  • waspuppet
  • WaterGirl

Filtered Commenters

No filtered commenters available.

    Settings




    Settings are saved immediately; press X to close the box.

    114Comments

    1. 1.

      Shalimar

      May 4, 2023 at 11:19 pm

      Just the Ginni Thomas no-work contract is the biggest bribery scandal in the history of SCOTUS.  And it’s less than 1% of the total bribes Clarence took.

      Reply
    2. 2.

      different-church-lady

      May 4, 2023 at 11:21 pm

      It’s getting to the point where he’s going to have to resign.

      He won’t, of course, but he’s going to have to.

      Reply
    3. 3.

      Turgidson

      May 4, 2023 at 11:21 pm

      They don’t give a shit, won’t face any consequences, and our media will just shrug and move on in a week or two.

      It’s just so fucking depressing.

      Reply
    4. 4.

      Ken

      May 4, 2023 at 11:22 pm

      No, see, if a good friend wishes, out of the kindness of his heart, to pay your wife twenty-five thousand dollars, you can’t very well refuse that without hurting your friendship. And if that friend wants to conceal that he’s giving her the money, well, that’s just to protect her privacy.

      @different-church-lady: I’m still of the opinion that if Thomas resigns, his mother will be out on the street by the end of the day, and the Thomas home bulldozed as soon as Crow gets a redevelopment permit.

      Reply
    5. 5.

      different-church-lady

      May 4, 2023 at 11:24 pm

      @Turgidson: ​
        I don’t think the media is going to move on. I think they find this one nice an juicy.

      Reply
    6. 6.

      Turgidson

      May 4, 2023 at 11:25 pm

      @different-church-lady:

      Enough bad faith outrage from their favorite GOP Senators and I think they drop it.  I guess we’ll see.

      Reply
    7. 7.

      Fraud Guy

      May 4, 2023 at 11:26 pm

      Time for some audits.

      Reply
    8. 8.

      Raoul Paste

      May 4, 2023 at 11:27 pm

      And the defense will be “this is a political attack on Justice Thomas”.   Ignore  the issue entirely.  Because there is no real defense for this corrupt duo.

      Reply
    9. 9.

      Jay

      May 4, 2023 at 11:30 pm

      Someone painted a swastika on Donald Trump's star on Hollywood Boulevard but the cops don't know if it was a supporter or an opponent.— 𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕖_𝔻𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕖 (@SundaeDivine) April 23, 2023

      Reply
    10. 10.

      dmsilev

      May 4, 2023 at 11:34 pm

      This man has no business on the court.

      Apparently the court is his business.

      Reply
    11. 11.

      BQuimby

      May 4, 2023 at 11:38 pm

      Saw in the comments somewhere re this and the tuition matter: “I’ve had Crunch Wraps more supreme than this court!”

      Reply
    12. 12.

      JWR

      May 4, 2023 at 11:38 pm

      @dmsilev: Hey yeah! Just swap Thomas with Leo, and voila! Problem solved! Wait…

      Reply
    13. 13.

      BlueGuitarist

      May 4, 2023 at 11:38 pm

      @Turgidson:

      Wait, are you saying he wouldn’t get his hair mussed?

      Reply
    14. 14.

      azlib

      May 4, 2023 at 11:40 pm

      When you believe you are above the law, you act like you are above the law.

      Reply
    15. 15.

      kalakal

      May 4, 2023 at 11:41 pm

      The GOP SCOTUS members could be used as the dictionary definition of hubris.

      Their sheer arrogance and their contempt for the public is revolting.

      Thomas is a corrupt fool, I hope his and his wife’s venality is what forces accountability on this out of control pack of bigots

      Reply
    16. 16.

      different-church-lady

      May 4, 2023 at 11:41 pm

      @azlib: When you believe you are the law…

      Reply
    17. 17.

      Turgidson

      May 4, 2023 at 11:42 pm

      @BlueGuitarist:

      Ten to twenty million of Harlan Crow’s dollars killed.  TOPS!

      Reply
    18. 18.

      patrick II

      May 4, 2023 at 11:43 pm

      @different-church-lady: ​
       
      Thomas is too shameless to resign, but even if he wasn’t he would have to stay on the court to protect Ginnie for Jan 6 activities.

      Reply
    19. 19.

      Urza

      May 4, 2023 at 11:44 pm

      Much like the insurrection this will be considered not important to one side, who’s votes sadly matter for solving it.  Now, say even 1% of these things about Hunter Biden and they’ll be up in arms, literally.

      Reply
    20. 20.

      Matt McIrvin

      May 4, 2023 at 11:45 pm

      If he does resign, it’s hard for me to imagine that a replacement would ever be confirmed while Joe Biden is in office. The number of liberal justices on the Supreme Court can only decrease, it can’t increase–the whole political establishment would decry that as horrific partisan opportunism and insist that Biden must appoint a Federalist Society hack out of a sense of fairness.

      Reply
    21. 21.

      Mallard Filmore

      May 4, 2023 at 11:54 pm

      In January 2012, Leo instructed the GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway to bill a nonprofit group he advises and use that money to pay Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the documents show.

      Isn’t that money laundering? Sometimes I wish I was a lawyer.

      Reply
    22. 22.

      Jay

      May 4, 2023 at 11:58 pm

      https://www.theonion.com/tucker-carlson-texts-that-got-him-fired-1850405562?utm_campaign=TheOnion&utm_content=1683246702&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_source=twitter

      Text messages from Tucker Carlson set off a panic inside Fox News after their revelation, showcasing the former host’s private and often alarming innermost thoughts. Here, obtained by The Onion in an exclusive trove from an anonymous source, are the complete and unredacted texts that reportedly led to his firing.

      Reply
    23. 23.

      Ksmiami

      May 5, 2023 at 12:00 am

      Still think that the court can be saved? No, it’s another useless and destroyed institution courtesy of the criminal conspiracy racket known as the GOP.

      Reply
    24. 24.

      mrmoshpotato

      May 5, 2023 at 12:00 am

      @Jay: Photo or it I didn’t happen.

      Reply
    25. 25.

      TriassicSands

      May 5, 2023 at 12:01 am

      This man has no business on the court. — John Cole

      Oh, Clarence has “business” on the Court. His business is to help create a one party minority rule country wherein bigotry, especially religious bigotry, rules.

      It was obvious back in the 90s that Thomas had “no business” being on the Court. But he’s on the Court and it would be a true miracle if he were to resign. All this negative publicity just further firms up his resolve to get his way and get even with Democrats. Since there is zero chance of an impeachment conviction, Thomas is immune to accountability. I just don’t see either a referral to the DOJ or if that did occur, that the DOJ would be willing to hold Thomas accountable. I surely would love to be wrong.

      Reply
    26. 26.

      tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)

      May 5, 2023 at 12:02 am

      This stinks and so do the tuition payments. If they couldn’t afford to send the grandnephew to private schools, they should have sent him to the local public school like the majority of the US population. I really can’t get over that he accepted tuition payments for his grandnephew and yearly trips and thought it was acceptable. Normal people who aren’t moochers or lacking in ethics, lose sleep over that worrying about how to pay the money back or what kind of favors they’ll owe in return. He needs to go.

      Reply
    27. 27.

      Brent

      May 5, 2023 at 12:04 am

      @Matt McIrvin: Well at the moment,  we have the Senate.  So no way to prevent Biden from appointing whoever he wants.  But definitely after 2024,   assuming that Biden wins the presidency,  and we lose the Senate (which seems fairly likely with the current landscape),  it will be a much tougher lift.

      Reply
    28. 28.

      Quinerly

      May 5, 2023 at 12:04 am

      I’ll leave this here. Quite the read imo. Explains why McCarthy gave Carlson the 1/6 tapes

      “He was changing the Republican Party, and he loved having that kind of power”

      https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/tucker-carlson-gop-maga-puppeteer-fox-news-1234729643/

      Reply
    29. 29.

      TriassicSands

      May 5, 2023 at 12:05 am

      @different-church-lady:

      It’s getting to the point where he’s going to have to resign.

      He won’t, of course, but he’s going to have to.

      But he’ll have to. But he won’t. But he’ll have to. But he won’t. But he’ll have to. But he won’t. But he’ll have to. But he won’t. Ad infinitum…

      I’m sensing an infinite loop here.

      But he will die someday. That may be the only way to get rid of him and his equally corrupt wife.

      Reply
    30. 30.

      scav

      May 5, 2023 at 12:08 am

      Roberts’ court is clearly destined to be one for the history books.  Rotting fish-head.

      Reply
    31. 31.

      Amir Khalid

      May 5, 2023 at 12:08 am

      At what point does all this blatant corruption by the Thomases cross the line into criminal conduct? It beggars belief that any of this is beyond the reach of federal criminal statutes simply because the husband is a Supreme Court Justice.

      Reply
    32. 32.

      Quinerly

      May 5, 2023 at 12:09 am

      @Mallard Filmore:

      Has anyone checked George’s Twitter since this broke? I have to wonder if he will be giving interviews. He’s been so vocal in the last 3 years.

      Reply
    33. 33.

      TriassicSands

      May 5, 2023 at 12:09 am

      @azlib:

      Thomas doesn’t follow the law. He invents the law, as he looks down on it from above.

      Reply
    34. 34.

      scav

      May 5, 2023 at 12:14 am

      @TriassicSands: Laws, like taxes, are for little people.

      Reply
    35. 35.

      Dangerman

      May 5, 2023 at 12:16 am

      Resign and allow future Justice Barack Obama? I like the thought of heads exploding. Not gonna happen.

      Reply
    36. 36.

      TriassicSands

      May 5, 2023 at 12:19 am

      Thomas is corrupt in ways that most justices might not even be able to imagine.

      However, the problem of gifts applies to all the justices. It is a problem of elite privilege. In infects almost everyone who attains such an exalted perch in society.

      There may have been isolated cases in history of SCOTUS justices essentially taking bribes and delivering a vote (it’s definitely happened lower down the food chain), but in 2023, I doubt if any justice would change his or her vote for money. The money is simply their due. I’d say Thomas and Alito would never change a vote for money. They have an agenda (not that the other Federalist Society justices don’t), but I don’t think either Thomas or Alito pays any attention in oral arguments in order to complete their understanding and arrive at a vote. They already know how they’re going to vote. They will push their religion and continue their assault on the separation of Church and State. They will continue to favor the electoral prospects of Republican candidates. They will continue to attack the administrative state making it more and more difficult for a Democratic administration to govern effectively and responsibly. And so on.

      Reply
    37. 37.

      TriassicSands

      May 5, 2023 at 12:19 am

      @scav:

      Yep, it’s right their in the Constitution. Somewhere.

      Reply
    38. 38.

      Repatriated

      May 5, 2023 at 12:26 am

      @TriassicSands:but in 2023, I doubt if any justice would change his or her vote for money.

      The money isn’t to change a vote, it’s to ensure they don’t even consider questioning the vote they would normally cast.

      Reply
    39. 39.

      Mallard Filmore

      May 5, 2023 at 12:28 am

      @Quinerly: 

      Has anyone checked George’s Twitter since this broke?

      Sorry. George who?

      Reply
    40. 40.

      Chetan Murthy

      May 5, 2023 at 12:31 am

      @Mallard Filmore: Mr. Kellyanne Conway, of course.

      [I mean, she’s the famous one, not him]

      Reply
    41. 41.

      BruceFromOhio

      May 5, 2023 at 12:31 am

      I’m starting a GoFundMe, my new company will openly bribe the spouses of the fascist judges to influence whatever business you have before the court. For a small cut, uh, percentage um FEE I’ll pass your bribe, uh, payment, wait no, tithe! That’s it, it’s a tithe because this is all non-profit of course, but your TITHE will be deposited via plain brown envelope with no names of course and that includes yours.

      Reply
    42. 42.

      Roger Moore

      May 5, 2023 at 12:33 am

      @Mallard Filmore:

      Isn’t that money laundering?

      Not according to Clarence Thomas, who doesn’t feel the need to recuse himself from this case because he knows he did nothing wrong so there’s no conflict.

      Reply
    43. 43.

      Mallard Filmore

      May 5, 2023 at 12:33 am

      @Chetan Murthy:  Ahh.  I get it now.  His wife was the bag-lady pass through.

      Reply
    44. 44.

      Frankensteinbeck

      May 5, 2023 at 12:51 am

      @Amir Khalid:

      At what point does all this blatant corruption by the Thomases cross the line into criminal conduct?

      The Roberts court has previously ruled that bribery exists only with an explicitly stated quid pro quo.  The income reporting laws do not seem to have punishments.  Some laws don’t.  So, as near as I can tell, all of this gross, obvious corruption… isn’t criminal.  There is literally nothing to prosecute him for.

      Reply
    45. 45.

      TriassicSands

      May 5, 2023 at 12:53 am

      @Repatriated:

      C’mon. Do you really think Thomas ever questions his vote? The same for Alito? Barrett? I’m laughing. Gorsuch? More laughter. Kavanaugh? Probably the iffiest of the lot. Roberts is a different case. He’s just as radical in his beliefs as the others, but he’s Chief Justice and has to nurse the public perception of the Court. His agenda is the same as the others — he’s just willing to take it a bit more slowly so it can be mistaken for legitimate, apolitical change.

      The problem is one of appearance and also that occasionally there will be people who might change their votes. It’s happened in the lower courts, but let’s face it, after say, Souter, the Right isn’t taking any more chances. By the time someone gets the Good Fascist Seal of Approval from the Federalist Society there is no doubt about how they will vote on the overwhelming majority of cases and none whatsoever on certain issues.

      The more doctrinaire and radical a justice, the less likely it will be that anything could affect their vote. Of the nine justices last year, I would say, based on that criterion, that Breyer or Kagan would be the most suspect. That doesn’t mean I think they would change their vote, but that flexibility makes it appear more possible.

      As I said in a earlier comment, this is, to me, a problem of elite privilege. They all think it is their due. That has nothing to do with their legal philosophy and everything to do with how special they think they are. I thought RBG was a great justice, but it seemed pretty obvious to me that her fame and notoriety went to her head. That wouldn’t affect her votes, but it would affect whether she thought she deserved special gifts and treatment.

      To invoke a cliche: It comes with the territory.

      Reply
    46. 46.

      patrick II

      May 5, 2023 at 12:55 am

      @Frankensteinbeck:

      I wonder how he reported this income on his tax forms.

      Reply
    47. 47.

      TriassicSands

      May 5, 2023 at 12:59 am

      @Frankensteinbeck: There is literally nothing to prosecute him for.

      I think you are probably right, but also, I don’t think they will prosecute under any circumstances. All he has to do is revise his filings and all will be forgiven — because he’s a SCOTUS justice.

      Of course, that’s exactly how laws are applied to everyone in America regardless of wealth, social status, race, etc. (Wait, I’m going to be sick…)

      Reply
    48. 48.

      Princess

      May 5, 2023 at 1:03 am

      This is obscene and I think it resonates even with those who want him to stay on the court.
      also, good for Pro Publica but where has the rest of our press been for the last 40 years?

      I hope they plan to expose each justice in turn. Including “ours” if necessary/warranted. You can’t have a functioning democracy if the highest court is bought and paid for.

      Reply
    49. 49.

      Chetan Murthy

      May 5, 2023 at 1:04 am

      @patrick II: And how Crow reported it on *his* taxes.  When a gift exceeds some limit, the giver has to pay gift tax, IIUC.

      Reply
    50. 50.

      john (not mccain)

      May 5, 2023 at 1:57 am

      Why aren’t the 3 patriotic justices screaming about this? Makes me wonder about them, honestly.  They can’t possibly believe the system will work to fix the problem.

      Reply
    51. 51.

      Chetan Murthy

      May 5, 2023 at 2:13 am

      @john (not mccain): I can easily imagine that they want to preserve what possibility there is for convincing one of the Fascist Six to vote with them.  I mean, if you burn those bridges for good, you’re as much as saying you’re never, ever going to be in the majority on any case.

      And furthermore, it’s on the other two branches of government to rein in this SCOTUS.  That’s the way the system is designed to work.  Or not work, as the case may be.

      Reply
    52. 52.

      David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

      May 5, 2023 at 2:41 am

      I’m shocked! I’m shocked!

      Reply
    53. 53.

      Redshift

      May 5, 2023 at 2:59 am

      @Princess:

      where has the rest of our press been for the last 40 years?

      The LA Times reported on Thomas and Crow twenty years ago. He reported the “gifts” on his disclosures then, but he stopped after they reported on how scandalous it was. In case anyone had any doubts that his “I didn’t think I had to report it” line was complete bullshit. The rules weren’t too hard, he knew he was supposed to report it, but he didn’t like being criticized, so he just… didn’t.

      Reply
    54. 54.

      opiejeanne

      May 5, 2023 at 3:00 am

      @Chetan Murthy:

      I’ve been too busy today, missed a lot of the news, and that’s a good question.

      George was on MSNBC yesterday or the day before talking about the trials and tribulations of TFG, and smirking. I think it was Nicole Wallace’s show, and boy does he hate TFG.

      Reply
    55. 55.

      Mai Naem mobile

      May 5, 2023 at 3:23 am

      @opiejeanne: i was wondering if George was the source for this last corruption story about Ginni and Kelly Anne. George Conway’s got to know a lot of GOP corruption secrets going back at least to Bill Clinton.

      Reply
    56. 56.

      Chetan Murthy

      May 5, 2023 at 3:32 am

      @Mai Naem mobile: Damn, that’d be one *acrimonious* divorce!  IANAL,  but that sure smells like money laundering, what she did.

      Reply
    57. 57.

      Bruce K in ATH-GR

      May 5, 2023 at 3:45 am

      Y’know, the United States Constitution is very clear that bribery is grounds for impeachment. Of course, as we saw in the past three years, the Republican Party won’t allow a little thing like the Constitution to stand in the way of the IOKIYAR Principle. Not if it means removing their President, and not if it means removing a right-wing member of the Supreme Court when there isn’t a Republican President and Congress to make sure someone who’s not a right-winger doesn’t take their place.

      Reply
    58. 58.

      Mai Naem mobile

      May 5, 2023 at 4:01 am

      @Chetan Murthy: one never knows and they have four kids, at least 3 who I believe are minors. At this point I wonder who the more successful of the couple is because George is the more successful lawyer but Kelly Anne may have made more money off her media gigs and her ‘polling’ firm. Its got to be a big $$$ divorce.  I also have to wonder if she did other money laundering in D.C, what with all the Russian and Mideast money floating around in D.C.

      Reply
    59. 59.

      Mai Naem mobile

      May 5, 2023 at 4:05 am

      I would like somebody to ask Clarence Thomas why he couldn’t afford to send his kid to an expensive private school when his annual family income was around $500K at that time. It was high school and if I understand it correctly it was just the last two years of high school. It wasn’t like he was going to be paying the tuition for 12 years.

      Reply
    60. 60.

      Aussie Sheila

      May 5, 2023 at 4:13 am

      @Chetan Murthy:

      Exactly. If Congress wants reform, and they should, it will have to be legislated. This is one dilemma that can’t be litigated to any conclusion. It is absurd that  a High Court operates in a democracy without any democratic oversight of its operations. Note, not it’s decisions, but it’s operation as the third branch of government.

      High time this Council of Guardians was put in its place. The other thing that can be legislated is restrictions on the matters it can rule on. The Democratic Party should give that some real attention.

      Reply
    61. 61.

      Chetan Murthy

      May 5, 2023 at 4:20 am

      @Aussie Sheila: re: your last, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurisdiction_stripping

      Yes, Congress can do this.  They just have to *want* to.  Oh, and they have to be Dems, b/c ain’t no way the GrOPers are gonna hamstring their super-legislature right after they built it.

      Reply
    62. 62.

      sab

      May 5, 2023 at 4:21 am

      @Bruce K in ATH-GR: They redefined bribery so that there no longer is such activity in the real world. Bribery as they define it means you have to have a notarized contract. No wink and nod and exchange of funds is enough.

      They being the Supreme Court. When they overturned Gov McDonell’s conviction in Va.

      Reply
    63. 63.

      Chetan Murthy

      May 5, 2023 at 4:26 am

      @sab: Now that’s not completely fair: if you’re a Democratic politician and your son gets paid for a no-show job, that’s prima facie proof that you got bribed!

      Reply
    64. 64.

      sab

      May 5, 2023 at 4:31 am

      @Chetan Murthy: Apparently you don’t share my cynicism. Sweet summer child. //

      Also too if you are a Democrat and your son got paid for a job he showed up for and did, that is also a bribe. See Hunter Biden.

      Reply
    65. 65.

      Chetan Murthy

      May 5, 2023 at 4:36 am

      @sab: Oh, I was trying to say “/s” that I agreed with you.  And I thought that Hunter hadn’t actually done anything for that job in Ukraine (but then, that happens all the time with family of the rich and powerful).

      Reply
    66. 66.

      Ashley

      May 5, 2023 at 4:36 am

      Straight Up Corruption is a deeply concerning issue, reflecting a blatant abuse of power and trust. It undermines the foundations of a fair and just society, demanding immediate action and vigilance to root out and address such unethical behavior.

      Reply
    67. 67.

      Aussie Sheila

      May 5, 2023 at 4:41 am

      @Chetan Murthy:

      Hunter Biden is a distraction. He is a damaged failson. Let’s get back to reforming the USSC before any more women die, and Jim Crow is completely restored in the Southern and mid western states.
      I don’t  give a rats about Hunter Biden. If he broke any laws presumably he will be charged.

      More importantly, no one else gives a rats either. Pity Javanka aren’t being pursued more vigorously.

      Reply
    68. 68.

      Chetan Murthy

      May 5, 2023 at 4:44 am

      @Aussie Sheila: That’s certainly what I was trying to get across.  Perhaps too much veiling of the sarcasm.

      Reply
    69. 69.

      sab

      May 5, 2023 at 4:47 am

      @Chetan Murthy: Sorry to mock you when I had realized you agreed. Clashing “///”s. I think the jury is still out on whether Hunter Biden did nothing and I am not willing to yield that ground until they prove their point.  We roll over when they accuse. Hillary’s e-mails.

      Reply
    70. 70.

      sab

      May 5, 2023 at 4:56 am

      Not rolling over on Hunter Biden either. He didn’t choose to have a drug problem. He was pain medicated as a tiny child after a life-threatening injury where his mother and baby sister were killed.

      ETA Meanwhile he went on to college and law school where he did well. Then used his connections to get work. Which he did.

      Reply
    71. 71.

      Aussie Sheila

      May 5, 2023 at 5:00 am

      @sab:

      Agree with all that. But if he broke any laws he will have to face charges. There may be many things to point to in mitigation, but I wouldn’t  be going to the mattresses over him. He is a distraction. One manufactured by the Republicans. Don’t fall for it.

      Reply
    72. 72.

      sab

      May 5, 2023 at 5:04 am

      @Aussie Sheila: I agree that if he broke any laws he will have to face charges. But I haven’t seen any sign that he broke any laws. Whenever they say we did something wrong we fold. They never fold. And their accusations are mostly projection. They think we do what they do. So we need to defend our own from their projective accusations.

      Reply
    73. 73.

      Aussie Sheila

      May 5, 2023 at 5:17 am

      @sab:

      Sure. If he did nothing, nothing will happen except Right wing yapping. In which case it can be safely ignored. He’s not an elected politician. Remember Jimmy Carter’s brother?. I vaguely do. It’s a nothing burger. Forget it. Hunter Biden’s laptop is now an internet meme against the Right at this stage.

      Reply
    74. 74.

      sab

      May 5, 2023 at 5:26 am

      @Aussie Sheila: To us it is a nothingburger. To him I assume it is traumatic. I don’t want him, to think nobody outside of his family cares.

      I  have a recovering/ed drug using stepson. He was a party animal who was also self-medicating for anxiety. He has finally, after 25 years of drug addled floundering, found himself a competent shrink who has him on appropriate medication.

      I don’t take kindly to people who take pot shots at drug addicts for political gain. Especially pot shots at drug addicts who have struggled into recovered.

      Reply
    75. 75.

      Betty Cracker

      May 5, 2023 at 5:28 am

      @sab: I don’t consider HB one of “our own” — he’s a private citizen, and while some of the conduct he’s alleged to have engaged in is sleazy, I haven’t seen any evidence that it’s illegal, nor any indication his father was involved. The latter is the only thing that would make the HB mess of any concern to me.

      I agree with Aussie Sheila that the HB saga is a distraction, and so I haven’t followed it closely. But my limited exposure leads me to believe the one charge Repubs make that might have some legs is, ironically, that HB obtained a fire arm illegally.

      Reply
    76. 76.

      sab

      May 5, 2023 at 5:34 am

      @Betty Cracker: He is a private citizen. So why the fuck are they talking about him.

      Also too. I am very distressed about Clarence Thomas’  nephew kid that he apoarently stole from his sister. Clarence Thomas did very wrong here there and otherwhere but can we please leave this kid out of the fray.

      ETA I do acknowledge that I am the one who brought them up in this thread. But me, a nitwit in Ohio, should not even know who they are.

      Since I do know who they are I need to help defend them.

      Reply
    77. 77.

      MomSense

      May 5, 2023 at 5:35 am

      Nina Totenberg has some explaining to do.

      Reply
    78. 78.

      sab

      May 5, 2023 at 5:38 am

      @MomSense: OMG. What did she do now?

      Reply
    79. 79.

      Aussie Sheila

      May 5, 2023 at 5:42 am

      @MomSense:

      But could she do it? I’ve only seen/heard her once. She struck me as insufferable.

      Reply
    80. 80.

      sab

      May 5, 2023 at 5:45 am

      @MomSense: I am all for nonagenarions not paying their property taxes. Let their kids or grandkids clean up.

      Reply
    81. 81.

      sab

      May 5, 2023 at 5:49 am

      @Aussie Sheila: We have heard her for decades. Used to be the NPR  voice of common sense on Supreme Court coverage. Didn’t even finish college, but bright enough to actually follow and report on legal reasoning. Her accent doesn’t annoy most Americans.

      NPR is American National Public Radio.

      Reply
    82. 82.

      Aussie Sheila

      May 5, 2023 at 5:53 am

      @sab: It wasn’t her accent. It was her insufferable deference and reverence for the Supreme Court that got me. It’s a frickin High Court, not the papacy. Unfortunately that’s a lesson that has to be learned by everyone now.

      Reply
    83. 83.

      lowtechcyclist

      May 5, 2023 at 5:54 am

      Would be nice to have some loud demonstrations outside the Supreme Court. With signs saying, quite specifically, “DRAIN THE SWAMP!!” because after this, it’s time for us to steal this one, make it ours, and hit the RWNJs over the head with it.

      Reply
    84. 84.

      Aussie Sheila

      May 5, 2023 at 6:08 am

      @lowtechcyclist: Love it!

      Reply
    85. 85.

      sab

      May 5, 2023 at 6:09 am

      @Aussie Sheila: I think it is the usual access issues. She didn’t used to be so awful, but then they didn’t used to be so awful.

      Reply
    86. 86.

      sab

      May 5, 2023 at 6:10 am

      @lowtechcyclist: I am an board for that.

      Reply
    87. 87.

      Betty Cracker

      May 5, 2023 at 6:36 am

      I almost pity Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Justices Kagan and Sotomayor too, but at least they served during some years on the court when it was still considered a legitimate and prestigious institution by most Americans. KBJ rose to the top of her profession and received the highest honor in it that this country can bestow, then landed in the middle of this corrupt shit-show, through no fault of her own. That must suck.

      Reply
    88. 88.

      Aussie Sheila

      May 5, 2023 at 6:40 am

      @Betty Cracker:

      I have a feeling she is going to be one of the most consequential Justices in history.

      Reply
    89. 89.

      Betty Cracker

      May 5, 2023 at 6:44 am

      @Aussie Sheila: I believe she’s fully capable of that, and she’s young enough to outlast the corrupt old dinosaurs and help turn the institution around. It would be a wonderful thing to see!

      Reply
    90. 90.

      Bruce K in ATH-GR

      May 5, 2023 at 6:49 am

      @sab: Sadly true, but if a Supreme Court judge gets impeached and convicted and removed, I don’t think he can appeal that to a higher court.

      Reply
    91. 91.

      JPL

      May 5, 2023 at 7:14 am

      GMA is covering Clarence for the second day in a row.  Since his name isn’t Hillary, I find it unusual.

      Reply
    92. 92.

      Aussie Sheila

      May 5, 2023 at 7:18 am

      @JPL:

      But is his email hygiene appropriate to such a highly placed person?

      Reply
    93. 93.

      MomSense

      May 5, 2023 at 7:38 am

      @sab:

      @Aussie Sheila:

      She did absolutely nothing except for invite them to her dinner parties.  She is Exhibit A for the danger of access journalism.  She’s supposedly the senior correspondent for all things SCOTUS working for a news outlet that is supposed to be the closest thing we have to objective and in the public interest and she doesn’t do a bit of investigation into them.  Keep in mind that many of us were already speaking out about the Thomas’ conflicts during the bohohohohohgus Bush v. Gore decision.

      I guess I’m the last remaining member of the scream at NPR club, but seriously fuck NPR.  I miss you Debbie and hope you are ok!

      Reply
    94. 94.

      lowtechcyclist

      May 5, 2023 at 7:44 am

      @MomSense:

      I guess I’m the last remaining member of the scream at NPR club, but seriously fuck NPR.

      I gave up on NPR back in 2016, otherwise I’m sure I’d still be screaming at them.

      Reply
    95. 95.

      Kay

      May 5, 2023 at 8:05 am

      @Mai Naem mobile:

      I would like somebody to ask Clarence Thomas why he couldn’t afford to send his kid to an expensive private school when his annual family income was around $500K at that time.

      Clarence and Ginni Thomas can afford it. It isn’t about what they can afford. It’s about what they can get from donors. Thomas listed a gift of “tires”. $1200. They hit someone up for tires.

      Reply
    96. 96.

      Kay

      May 5, 2023 at 8:12 am

      in the pocket of Big Tenant
      @AllezLesBoulez
      ·8h
      Nina Totenberg had Ginsburg officiate her wedding, only disclosed her decades-long friendship with Scalia after he died, covered up Ginsburg’s health problems, got criticized by the public editor for all this, then wrote a book bragging about it. NPR leadership backed her up.

      Reply
    97. 97.

      sdhays

      May 5, 2023 at 8:21 am

      @lowtechcyclist: I gave up on them some time during Obama’s first term. I would listen to them during my morning exercises and I would just get angry, which isn’t a nice way to start the day.

      Reply
    98. 98.

      Kay

      May 5, 2023 at 8:21 am

      Totenberg, NPR’s legal affairs correspondent, wasn’t close just to Ginsburg. After Justice Antonin Scalia died in 2016, Totenberg disclosed her long friendship with him on an episode of the NPR Politics Podcast. The book offers further details about the development of tight friendships with Solicitor General Ted Olson and Justice Lewis Powell Jr. For years, Justice William Brennan Jr. rebuffed her invitations. Totenberg describes her persistence in developing that relationship. He finally relents and comes to her home for dinner with Totenberg’s sister, Amy Totenberg, a lawyer and later a judge.

      Over the decades of Totenbergs friendship with Scalia he took seventy lavish vacations courtesy of GOP donors. He died on one of them.

      So, good for PorPublica. It’s about time someone actually covered the Supreme Court.

      Reply
    99. 99.

      waspuppet

      May 5, 2023 at 8:25 am

      “No mention of Ginni, of course.”

      I can’t get over the “of course.” He knew. So when does he get charged? And (maybe) Conway too?

      Reply
    100. 100.

      O. Felix Culpa

      May 5, 2023 at 8:29 am

      @Kay:

      Thomas listed a gift of “tires”. $1200. They hit someone up for tires.

      Wow. The greed and shamelessness shouldn’t be surprising, and yet they continue to surprise.

      Reply
    101. 101.

      Anyway

      May 5, 2023 at 8:31 am

      @lowtechcyclist:

      I gave up on NPR back in 2016, otherwise I’m sure I’d still be screaming at them.

      Yes, I never listen to NPR and my mornings are so much better … I had got used to a few mins of their morning program (can’t remember what it’s called now – YES!) every day but Cokie Roberts’ inanities got me to finally quit.

      I used to make an exception for the quiz show or Terry Gross but couldn’t bear listening to them. Not a minute since 2014 or so.

      Reply
    102. 102.

      lowtechcyclist

      May 5, 2023 at 8:46 am

      And just in general, fuck access journalism.  I’m sure it can add some useful information every now and then, but as far as I can see, its main effect is to corrupt the reporting.  What they hold back on including in their reporting in order to preserve access to a source, “beat sweetener” pieces, the whole fucking nine yards.

      Reply
    103. 103.

      Kay

      May 5, 2023 at 8:48 am

      @lowtechcyclist:

      It’s funny, because it doesn’t seem to work as reporting anyway. It always turns into holding back information from readers. It works for two people- the reporter and the source. It sucks for everyone else.

      Reply
    104. 104.

      Manyakitty

      May 5, 2023 at 9:42 am

      @sab: and using connections to get work is kinda the whole point of making those connections.

      Reply
    105. 105.

      waspuppet

      May 5, 2023 at 9:55 am

      @Kay: Cf. Maggie Haberman, whose “tremendous access to Trump and his inner circle” has never resulted in her breaking a story no one else has, just to being first with Trump’s denial.

      Reply
    106. 106.

      Jinchi

      May 5, 2023 at 9:59 am

      @sab: ​ They redefined bribery so that there no longer is such activity in the real world. Bribery as they define it means you have to have a notarized contract. No wink and nod and exchange of funds is enough.

      My thoughts exactly. The McDonnell case made it clear that the Supreme Court considers obvious bribery just a regular perk of the job, at least for Republican officials.

      NYT (2016):The McDonnells were charged in 2014, soon after Mr. McDonnell left office, in an indictment that presaged a sensational trial in Richmond, the Virginia capital. During the five-week trial, prosecutors depicted the former first couple as materialistic to the point of corruption because they accepted luxury gifts and low-interest loans from Jonnie R. Williams Sr., who sought the governor’s help in advancing his business interests.
      The benefits and gifts, including a Rolex, designer clothes and financial aid for a daughter’s wedding, were worth more than $175,000. Although the gifts were allowed under Virginia law, prosecutors successfully argued to a jury that the McDonnells, whose legal fates were often seen as intertwined, had violated federal anticorruption statutes. A judge later sentenced Mr. McDonnell to two years in prison, and Ms. McDonnell to a little more than a year.

      (The Supreme Court overturned the conviction)​

      Reply
    107. 107.

      Jinchi

      May 5, 2023 at 10:05 am

      @Anyway: ​
       Cokie Roberts’ inanities got me to finally quit.

      Ah yes. Who can forget her scolding tone when candidate Obama traveled to Hawaii during his presidential election campaign?

      Reply
    108. 108.

      WaterGirl

      May 5, 2023 at 11:18 am

      @Jay: That is LOL funny.

      Reply
    109. 109.

      WaterGirl

      May 5, 2023 at 11:19 am

      @dmsilev: I stumbled over Cole’s last line, too.  Depends on whether he is referring to Thomas or Leo.

      Reply
    110. 110.

      WaterGirl

      May 5, 2023 at 11:30 am

      @MomSense: I could use some context.  How does Nina Totenberg enter into this?

      @Kay:   Oh.  never mind.

      Reply
    111. 111.

      misterpuff

      May 5, 2023 at 3:44 pm

      @O. Felix Culpa: Does Clarence have a Corvette, because that’s what 4 tires cost on that vehicle, right Dark Brandon?

      Perhaps the generous donor was gifting tires for the RV, that the Thomases only drive to the executive airport to meet the plane to the yacht.

      Reply
    112. 112.

      billcinsd

      May 5, 2023 at 5:40 pm

      @Jinchi: Sadly, the overturn was 9-0

      Reply
    113. 113.

      sab

      May 6, 2023 at 7:25 pm

      @Anyway: I like our NPR local station’s local news coverage. Without NPR we would probably only have angry guys on talk or sports radio. But I pretty much ignore their national coverage. Morning Edition and All Things Considered infuriate me. 1A in the midday is often good and sometimes their early afternoon show. Just avoid it at rush hour morning or evening.

      Reply
    114. 114.

      sab

      May 6, 2023 at 7:26 pm

      @Jinchi: Hawaii was too exotic, and New Orleans isn’t.

      Reply

    Leave a Comment

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    If you don't see both the Visual and the Text tab on the editor, click here to refresh.

    Clear Comment

    To reply to more than one person, click the X to save & close the box.

    Primary Sidebar

    Recent Comments

    • bbleh on What’s Everyone Up To For Memorial Day? (May 29, 2023 @ 5:48pm)
    • Pete Downunder on What’s Everyone Up To For Memorial Day? (May 29, 2023 @ 5:44pm)
    • Quinerly on What’s Everyone Up To For Memorial Day? (May 29, 2023 @ 5:44pm)
    • Dan B on What’s Everyone Up To For Memorial Day? (May 29, 2023 @ 5:42pm)
    • jackmac on What’s Everyone Up To For Memorial Day? (May 29, 2023 @ 5:42pm)

    Balloon Juice Meetups!

    All Meetups
    Seattle Meetup on Sat 5/13 at 5pm!

    🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

    Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
    Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

    Fundraising 2023-24

    Wis*Dems Supreme Court + SD-8

    Balloon Juice Posts

    View by Topic
    View by Author
    View by Month & Year
    View by Past Author

    Featuring

    Medium Cool
    Artists in Our Midst
    Authors in Our Midst
    We All Need A Little Kindness
    Classified Documents: A Primer
    State & Local Elections Discussion

    Calling All Jackals

    Site Feedback
    Nominate a Rotating Tag
    Submit Photos to On the Road
    Balloon Juice Mailing List Signup
    Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
    Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)

    Twitter / Spoutible

    Balloon Juice (Spoutible)
    WaterGirl (Spoutible)
    TaMara (Spoutible)
    John Cole
    DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
    Betty Cracker
    Tom Levenson
    TaMara
    David Anderson
    Major Major Major Major
    ActualCitizensUnited

    Join the Fight!

    Join the Fight Signup Form
    All Join the Fight Posts

    Balloon Juice Events

    5/14  The Apocalypse
    5/20  Home Away from Home
    5/29  We’re Back, Baby
    7/21  Merging!

    Balloon Juice for Ukraine

    Donate

    Site Footer

    Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Comment Policy
    • Our Authors
    • Blogroll
    • Our Artists
    • Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2023 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

    Insert/edit link

    Enter the destination URL

    Or link to existing content

      No search term specified. Showing recent items. Search or use up and down arrow keys to select an item.
        Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

        Email sent!