Senate Dems. Plan to Subpoena GOP Donors Over Alleged SCOTUS Gifts
The Facts
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee announced on Monday that they intend to subpoena Republican donors Harlan Crow and Robin Arkley, as well as conservative activist Leonard Leo, concerning their involvement in the payment of luxury items and travel for Supreme Court justices.
While Crow is a known benefactor of Justice Clarence Thomas of over two decades, with payments including vacations, school tuition fees, and the purchasing of Thomas' mother's house, Arkley and Leo are reported to have helped arrange and pay for a private jet trip in 2008 for Justice Samuel Alito.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
The acceptance of lavish gifts from Republican billionaires has led to an extraordinary judicial crisis that has all but undermined the legitimacy of the Supreme Court. Several Justices have skirted ethics, and the conservative majority may truly be seen as no more than politicians in robes. The current behavior of unelected justices in the US undermines America's trust in its very own democracy and has led to damaging regressive rulings that have harmed society.
Republican narrative
Democrats continue to spread fictional tales of a corrupt Supreme Court undermined by economic incentives deriving from the right. Data shows that, despite the left's rhetoric, the Supreme Court has been more likely to side with liberal judicial stances in recent years. It's the creation of misleading scandals and the continued manipulation of the media which is why the public continues to hold grave mistrust against our judicial institutions, rather than the Supreme Court itself.
