Clarence Thomas is still refusing to reveal whether he repaid the principal on the $267,000 loan that he received from Anthony Welters,
a wealthy health care executive and personal friend,
to purchase his R.V. in 1999, according to a letter that Senators Ron Wyden and Sheldon Whitehouse have sent to an attorney for Thomas.
Thomas also has yet to say whether the loan’s principal was forgiven by the lender, the Democrats argue in the letter, which was obtained by The New Republic.
If it was forgiven all or in part, the senators say, it could constitute “a significant amount of taxable income” that should be reported on federal tax returns.
“Your client’s refusal to clarify how the loan was resolved raises serious concerns regarding violations of federal tax laws,” the senators write.
Wyden chairs the Finance Committee, and Whitehouse chairs the Judiciary Committee’s panel on federal courts, both of which are spearheading an investigation of Supreme Court ethics scandals.
The tale involving this R.V. constitutes one of the higher-profile instances of Thomas potentially accepting a form of income from wealthy benefactors,
resulting in a drumbeat of stories that have shaken the court.
Though Thomas’s frequent depiction of his Prevost Marathon R.V. (which he purchased used) as a sign of his affection for salt-of-the-earth leisure activities appears sincere ...
it’s also a luxury vehicle and an extremely pricey asset, perhaps comparable to a medium-size yacht. https://newrepublic.com/article/181627/clarence-thomas-rv-loan-democrats-letter
