I’m sure this is totally fine
I mean the gift part of it is ridiculous and all, but Putin’s hometown is St. Petersburg. A trip to St. Petersburg in 2003 is probably tourism, more a sign of being on Harlan Crow’s payroll than Putin’s.
The appearance of corruption is corruption. Judges know that. Everyone knows that.
We can explain away things, but it was his job to make sure we wouldn’t need to. This is not an edge case. And if it were, why didn’t he disclose it, as basic CYA? … Oh, yeah, we know why.
Here’s to hoping
Clarence Thomas: The reason I took this trip to visit Putin in his home undisclosed, was of course so you shouldn’t find out.
You shouldn’t meddle in private matters, of who I’m gay with or not, or I’ll have you hanged.“Putin’s hometown” is one of largest city. Saint Petesburg.
It was a big tourist destination for anyone visiting Russia when that was a desirable thing.
Yes. Also it is former capital.
Also it is just next-door to the Baltic states, so it makes sense to book a short trip to there (for whoever was bribing Thomas with trips back then)
Amazing how cheap it is to buy out the highest court of the most powerful nation
I need to get myself a helicopter
Maybe a gofundme-Campaign? I guess it can’t be very hard to raise some measly bucks for a bribe if that’s how it has to be.
This.
Every time when I read about some asshole selling out his own people its always for a few potatoes. Figuratively of course, but the reality is that you can birbe senators for low 5 figure amounts.
My guess it there was a lot of promises for the “new permanent administration” as well.
I just can’t imagine what type of person spends their entire lives studying law and justice, applying the Constitution to real life cases, etc., and is then able to just throw that all away for a few boat trips and a vacation or two…
Like there has to be malice here, not just incompetence. Thomas and Alito, at the very least, are purposely setting alight the Constitution they have dedicated their lives to and swore to uphold out of some form of anger or vengeance. It’s the only explanation.
They know exactly what they are doing, probably better than anyone else on the planet given their credentials. And for what?
It’s sickening.
Oh yeah that totally seems normal. Definitely no reason to stop the Supreme Court’s corruption - they said so themselves!
At this point a new revelation about Thomas doesn’t even really count as evidence that he’s corrupt - it’s evidence that he’s even more corrupt.
Perfectly normal!
…right?
Wait, wasn’t it the US that used to arrest anyone accused of being a red commie, just because a neighbour thought they may have just possibly had the slightest inkling that they may possibly, slightly, be a commie?
That is true and problematic, but can you explain how it relates to this article?
2003
I feel like that’d be important to note right away. That’s two decades ago. Not mentioning that makes it sound a lot more recent. Though I guess he was working the same job back then too.
😂😭😂
Still think a society run on worshipped greed and competition against one another can stand?
When you make the private profit motive the only motive, as we have in the US in practice, guess what your elected leaders and their appointments will be motivated by? Duty and integrity?
Sociopath asset holders being allowed to indulge their greed disease with impunity and dictating how our society runs while contributing nothing of merit needs to end. Until then, we’ll keep finding new lows to stoop to until climate change makes gold plated, inhuman cesspool collapse completely.
Put this fuck to death. Resignation isn’t enough.
Treason is punishable by death.
Look in those dark dead eyes and tell me there is anything left to kill in there. Dude is a fucking husk.
Lock him up
On whose authority?
No, really. I’m serious. Who is able to arrest them for their crimes? I know they can be impeached by Congress but I wonder if even that is enough. Can’t they just appeal their cases all the way up to their peers in the SCOTUS and be absolved of any crimes via a corrupt court?
I’m extremely afraid of the trajectory we are on here in the USA.
Well, that depends… given what the powers they just granted POTUS… they could just be dispatched as long as it’s an “official act” right? Bizarro world.
they could just be dispatched as long as it’s an “official act”
Well, maybe…
Who decides what is official and what is illegal?
Bought and paid-for Supreme Court. Pathetic, sad, and scary.
And kinda cheap if you think about it.
It’s always been amazing to look at the lobbyists donation amounts to senators to see how cheaply they can be bought.
I dont know why everyone assumes it has to be like millions. They already make decent money, and then they feel entitled to this extra compensation, its less about the amounts and more about precedent
I’m sure in many cases they’d do it for free because they agree in general, it’s just looks strange to see values in the hundreds by these absolutely behemoth companies.
Yeah you start to wonder if the companies almost have to take advantage or be accused of not pursuing profits for their shareholders.
I think a lot of this bribery stuff only becomes officially illegal later on as well, so maybe they feel they are in a sort of grey area thats defensible.
Are we going to do another russia scandal now? That trump one worked out so good, I am sure this one will too!
Of all the things I’m not surprised by, this is one of them. The fact that a Republican accepts bribes from Vladimir Putin ought to be immensely shocking, but the last ten years have utterly destroyed my capacity to be shocked by these people.
Assuming this country survives, history books looking back at this era are going to be fucking wild.
Remember, that’s the playbook… The waves never stop crashing on the shore and you become numb to how totally unacceptable even one of these corrupt acts is. Before you know it, there are 300 of them at your feet and they are consistently escalating and you are just exhausted and overwhelmed.
No, it’s internal bribery. While its not entirely clear where those bribes came from, in the text, they are listed in the table:
“Likely Undisclosed Gifts and Income from Harlan Crow and Affiliated Companies”
