r/politics • u/TimesandSundayTimes ✔ Verified • 25d ago

Clarence Thomas: I should have declared free holidays from billionaire Paywall

https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/clarence-thomas-i-should-have-declared-free-holidays-from-billionaire-7ngkc3hxj
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u/slapnowski 25d ago

No. Fuck declaring them, he shouldn’t have accepted them in the first place. It’s insane that as a nurse I can’t accept a gift from a patient I’ve cared for, but one of the most influential judges in the country (world even?) can legally be bribed.

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u/Brinksan51 25d ago edited 23d ago

His mention about “advice from his colleagues”early on in his career. He been an SCJ for 33 f’n years and his $500K trip was 5 years ago. We’re talking about 25+ years after “early on in his career”! Who does he think he’s bs’ng? He’s a dishonest lying pos! He should be impeached! If some poor family wins a $2500 vacation to Disney, they have to pay taxes on that! Fuck Thomas!!!

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u/Riff_Ralph 25d ago

Poor Clarence, too destitute to pay for a CPA or tax lawyer it appears.

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u/leachja 25d ago

He was sworn in in 1991. That’s 33 years, not 43.

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u/Brinksan51 25d ago

My bad.

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u/auiin Georgia 24d ago

I'm about 100% positive he could not accept gifts in his previous capacity as a federal judge.

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u/monkeypickle 24d ago

Thank you. My Class of 91 ass was getting all weirded out by that.

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u/Cloaked42m South Carolina 25d ago

If your buddy buys you tickets to a show, you don't pay taxes on it or declare it.

If your buddy is a billionaire...

The biggest issue is just acknowledging that a billionaire is going to have an interest in business cases.

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u/Numerous_Photograph9 25d ago

IRS requires reporting on gifts over a certain amount. Doesnt matter if its family, friends, whatever. The monetary value has to be fair market, or proved to only cost so much depending on the situation.

Repotung limits used to be 10K, not sure if its changed since I was young.

Generally speaking, the IRS isn't likely to care or know about about the random big gift, like if your parents buy you something exceptionally nice, but a car will likely have a tax liability

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u/Brinksan51 25d ago

C’mon Cloaked, a buddy buying tickets is a piss poor example to use! We’re talking about a $500K trip here, and yes, you’re right about an expectation of quid pro quo’s. Someone that lavished millions of dollars to a SCJ for 20 years can certainly appear to be for nefarious purposes. To use the excuse of “inadvertent omission”, just doesn’t cut the mustard. What needs to happen, is impeach Thomas, and pull the rug out from beneath his benefactor Harlan Crow. At the very least he should be advised to recuse himself, especially because of that “C” of a wife, and so should Alito.