Democratic allegations that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas failed to properly disclose trips and gifts paid for by wealthy GOP donor Harlan Crow in violation of the law have been referred to a judicial committee that reviews financial disclosures.
Roslynn R. Mauskopf, the director of the Judicial Conference of the United States, said in a letter to a pair of Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday that she had passed along their concerns about Thomas and a recent report from ProPublica to the committee.
"I have forwarded your letter to the Judicial Conference Committee on Financial Disclosure, which is responsible for implementing the disclosure provisions of the Ethics in Government Act and addressing allegations of errors or omissions in the filing of financial disclosure reports," she wrote in the letter, obtained by NBC News.
The letter came in response to one sent last week to the Judicial Conference by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., who outlined ProPublica's reporting about Thomas not disclosing gifts and luxury travel from Crow as well as the sale of properties related to Thomas to the billionaire.
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In response to the ProPublica story, Thomas said in a statement that he and Crow are friends and that, "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."
Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.
