Clarence Thomas is back in the spotlight, which is literally never a good thing for anyone. This time, the attention comes after it was revealed one of Thomas’ top aides received payments via Venmo from lawyers who had their cases heard before the Supreme Court.
Now, I’m not a criminal mastermind by any small stretch of the imagination, but if I were, I’m pretty sure I would not be conducting my less-than-savory dealings on Venmo. Here’s the details, via The Guardian:
Several lawyers who have had business before the supreme court, including one who successfully argued to end race-conscious admissions at universities, paid money to a top aide to Justice Clarence Thomas, according to the aide’s Venmo transactions. The payments appear to have been made in connection to Thomas’s 2019 Christmas party.
The payments to Rajan Vasisht, who served as Thomas’s aide from July 2019 to July 2021, seem to underscore the close ties between Thomas, who is embroiled in ethics scandals following a series of revelations about his relationship with a wealthy billionaire donor, and certain senior Washington lawyers who argue cases and have other business in front of the justice.
As someone who worked in D.C. and hosted Congressional members as part of their job at receptions, I distinctly remember having to keep the per-person cost down to a certain level or else they could not attend, per gift rules in the House and Senate. There is, however, no formalized code of conduct regarding gifts and their financial limits in the Supreme Court, only that you’re supposed to report gifts you receive. Thomas is not doing that, obviously, per The Guardian:
Vasisht’s Venmo account – which was public prior to requesting comment for this article and is no longer – show that he received seven payments in November and December 2019 from lawyers who previously served as Thomas legal clerks. The amount of the payments is not disclosed, but the purpose of each payment is listed as either “Christmas party”, “Thomas Christmas Party”, “CT Christmas Party” or “CT Xmas party”, in an apparent reference to the justice’s initials.
Look, on the one hand; I’m very grateful conservatives don’t know that you can keep your Venmo transaction history private because it allows them to get caught doing shady stuff easily if you know where to look; on the other hand, it’s so sloppy it pisses me off further because these knuckleheads really do think they’re so far above the law they don’t have to worry about covering their tracks. America!
Thomas isn’t the only conservative to get caught doing shady things on Venmo. In 2021, Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz was found to be using Venmo to pay for things he probably shouldn’t be paying for (which he was not charged for), including sending payments to underage women and his friend, who was later convicted of trafficking a minor, among other things.
Like I said, I’m not a criminal mastermind so I would never use Venmo if I were doing something shady. (Don’t worry Mom and the DOJ, I’m not!) However, I’m also not a privileged conservative politician with power, so unlike men like Thomas and Gaetz, I would surely get caught and be charged for my dealings; so mixed bag there, really.
(via: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
