A majority of ethics experts cited by ProPublica in its recent stories on Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito’s alleged ethics violations have histories of donating to Democratic campaigns and left-wing causes, a Daily Caller News Foundation review of Federal Election Commission (FEC) records found.
Seven of the nine ethics experts cited in ProPublica’s stories on Thomas and Alito have collectively given over $100,000 to Democratic campaigns and left-wing causes, FEC records show. Several also work for organizations calling for Thomas’ resignation that are backed by donors that also fund ProPublica, the DCNF previously reported. The ProPublica stories did not disclose these ethics experts’ donations or the fact it shares donors with groups pushing for Thomas to resign.
ProPublica published several stories over the past few months, citing experts who allege Thomas violated high court ethics rules by failing to disclose expensive trips he took with his billionaire friend Harlan Crow, along with Crow’s purchase of Thomas’ mother’s home and the payment of his grandnephew’s private school tuition. In a June 20 report, which Alito preempted with his own Wall Street Journal op-ed, the outlet quoted experts who alleged the Supreme Court justice violated ethics rules by failing to disclose his 2008 Alaska fishing trip with billionaire Paul Singer.