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Clarence Thomas’ name is under fire again—but this time for money dealings with one of his aides.
Investigations found several lawyers made payments using Venmo to Rajan Vasisht, who served as Thomas’s aide from July 2019 to July 2021, The Guardian reports. Vasisht’s Venmo account shows that he received seven different payments between November and December 2019 from lawyers who worked as the Supreme Court justice’s legal clerks. While the amount of each payment was revealed, each one was listed with a purpose – including “Christmas party”, “Thomas Christmas Party”, “CT Christmas Party” or “CT Xmas party” – and referenced Thomas’ initials.
The lawyers involved in the scandal are: Patrick Strawbridge, Kate Todd, Elbert Lin, and Brian Schmalzbach. Strawbridge is a legal partner who recently argued affirmative action violated the constitution, while Todd served as the deputy counsel under the Trump administration. Elbert Lin is a former solicitor general of West Virginia who was a key component in a Supreme Court case regarding the Environmental Protection Agency and Schmalzbach is also a legal partner with years of experience arguing cases before the Supreme Court.
It is unknown what the funds were for as according to Vasisht’s resume, his duties while working for Thomas included assisting the justice with the administrative needs of his chambers like personal correspondence and managing his personal and office schedule.
Several legal experts say the payments issued wave major red flags on top of the other money issues Thomas is facing, like his relationships with wealthy billionaire donors. Former President George W. Bush’s chief White House ethics lawyer, Richard Painter, says the payments are simply “not appropriate.” “There is no excuse for it. Thomas could invite them to his Christmas party and he could attend Christmas parties, as long as they are not discussing any cases,” Painter said, according to Salon. Kendric Payne, general counsel and senior director of ethics at the Campaign Legal Center, thinks the public deserves an explanation.
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