Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the panel will take action regarding a ProPublica report stating that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accepted luxury trips from a Republican donor without reporting them on his financial disclosures. Durbin didn't specify what kind of action the committee would take but said the report "demonstrates, yet again, that Supreme Court Justices must be held to an enforceable code of conduct," adding "the Senate Judiciary Committee will act."
The ProPublica report said of Thomas's trips on Harlan Crow's jet and yacht, "His [Thomas's] failure to report the flights appears to violate a law passed after Watergate that requires justices, judges, members of Congress and federal officials to disclose most gifts, two ethics law experts said. He also should have disclosed his trips on the yacht, these experts said." Crow said in a statement, "The hospitality we have extended to the Thomas's over the years is no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dear friends." Crow also said he and his wife "have never asked about a pending or lower court case, and Justice Thomas has never discussed one, and we have never sought to influence Justice Thomas on any legal or political issue." Thomas hasn't commented on the allegations, which Democrats have latched onto amid broader calls for greater oversight of justices. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) called for Thomas's impeachment, while Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) called for action from the Judicial Conference of the United States, the policymaking body for federal courts. See more reactions here |
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Welcome to Evening Report! I'm Amee LaTour, catching you up from the afternoon and what's coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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© Annabelle Gordon, The Hill |
House Judiciary chair subpoenas former hush money probe prosecutor |
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) subpoenaed Mark Pomerantz, a former Manhattan District Attorney's Office prosecutor who was involved in the hush money investigation that led to former President Trump's indictment and arraignment. It's the latest move from Jordan in the investigation into District Attorney Alvin Bragg's (D) office regarding the Trump probe. Jordan said on Fox News this week that compelling Pomerantz's testimony "might be an easier route to pursue initially than Mr. Bragg, but everything is on the table." Bragg responded to the subpoena of the former prosecutor saying the House GOP was trying "to undermine an active investigation and ongoing New York criminal case with an unprecedented campaign of harassment and intimidation." Pomerantz resigned about a year ago, saying Bragg's reluctance to pursue charges was "misguided and completely contrary to the public interest." Read more about the debate surrounding House Republicans' oversight attempts into the Manhattan investigation here. |
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The IRS's plan for that extra $80 billion
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The Treasury Department released its operating plan for the $80 billion boost the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) got from the Inflation Reduction Act. The Hill's Tobias Burns broke down the plan — some excerpts: Restoring a depleted IRS staff: "Most of those new hires will be taxpayer service workers to help answer the phone and auditors to collect money from taxpayers and businesses that underreport their income." Cracking down on tax evasion: "[IRS Commissioner Danny] Werfel repeated a pledge from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that new auditors and enforcement initiatives at the IRS would be focused 'exclusively' on wealthy people, partnerships and corporations, though he said this would be true in the 'initial' phase of implementation." Closing the tax gap: "The IRS isn't able to collect about $600 billion in taxes that are owed to it every year[.] ... The tax gap was roughly equal to 2.8 percent of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019, according to a calculation by The Hill." Boosting data and analysis: "Werfel's background as a consultant and business operations specialist plays into this broad structural redesign of IRS operations, tax experts have noted." Read Tobias's full report here |
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National Press Club honors Gershkovich with reward
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The National Press Club gave the John Aubuchon award to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges. U.S. officials and the newspaper have said the charges are false. |
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Boebert challenger raises $1.7 million
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Democrat Adam Frisch, who came unexpectedly close to defeating Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) in November, said he raised $1.7 million since launching his 2024 rematch campaign in mid-February. |
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Gen Z drinking less than previous generations
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The Hill's Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech reports on the changing drinking habits of young Americans: "The shift away from alcohol stems in part from a heightened awareness of the risks that come with drinking, from poor decisionmaking to addiction to negative health impacts." Read the full report here |
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"Ranking Trump's potentially very short VP shortlist" — Myra Adams, a RealClearPolitics contributor who served on the creative team of two GOP presidential campaigns in 2004 and 2008. (Read here) "Biden administration says US asylum system is broken: Here's how to fix it" — Nolan Rappaport, who was detailed to the House Judiciary Committee as an Executive Branch Immigration Law Expert, served as an immigration counsel for the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Claims, and wrote decisions for the Board of Immigration Appeals. (Read here) |
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579 days until the presidential election. |
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President Biden will be in Camp David for the weekend. |
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There a story you think should be getting more attention? Something people should be talking about? Drop me a line: alatour@thehill.com |
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