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House Democrats call on Clarence Thomas to resign over 'stunning' corruption

Jake Johnsonand Common Dreams August 11, 2023

Several House Democrats on Thursday pushed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to immediately resign after the investigative outlet ProPublica revealed fresh details about the powerful judge's billionaire-funded—and undisclosed—luxury vacations.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that Thomas' "alleged actions are not just shocking, they are illegal."

"Disclosure laws like the ones Justice Thomas allegedly violated are meant to provide transparency and prevent corruption," Lieu added. "Justice Thomas' alleged actions don't just appear corrupt, they are corrupt because of the unprecedented scale of his ethical and legal violations. Justice Thomas has brought shame upon himself and eroded the credibility of the Supreme Court. Justice Thomas should resign immediately."

ProPublica reported Thursday that Thomas has taken at least 38 luxury trips on the dime of ultrawealthy executives and Republican donors, some of whom have had business interests reach the high court.

The outlet noted that "while some of the hospitality, such as stays in personal homes, may not have required disclosure, Thomas appears to have violated the law by failing to disclose flights, yacht cruises, and expensive sports tickets."

ProPublica's detailed account of the gifts Thomas has received for decades from a group of right-wing executives renewed outrage over the Supreme Court's lack of ethical standards. Unlike every other federal court in the U.S., the Supreme Court does not have a binding code of ethics, providing an opening for justices to take dozens of private jet flights and stay at luxury resorts with the help of conservative billionaires.

"No justice should accept these types of gifts,"Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said Thursday. "Thomas has repeatedly brought dishonor and ethical malpractice to our highest court. I reiterate my call that he must resign. This is exactly why we need SCOTUS ethics reform."

Rep. Pramila Jayapal(D-Wash.), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called Thomas' conduct "unprecedented," "stunning," and "disgusting," writing that it is "the height of hypocrisy to wear the robes of a SCOTUS [justice] and take undisclosed gifts from billionaires who benefit from your decisions."

"Resign," she added.

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.)joined his colleagues in demanding Thomas' resignation, slamming the right-wing justice as "corrupt as hell."

Thomas insists that he has "always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines," but the justice has a long history of failing to disclose key items, such as income that his wife has received from right-wing organizations.

In April, after ProPublicareported that Thomas has been taking undisclosed yacht and private jet trips funded by billionaire GOP megadonor Harlan Crow for more than two decades, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez(D-N.Y.) toldThe Lever that she would be willing to draft articles of impeachment against Thomas if no other House member did so.

To date, no House lawmaker has unveiled articles of impeachment even as the Supreme Court's ethical crisis spirals further out of control. An impeachment vote against Thomas would stand no chance in the House, which is controlled by Republicans.

A few House Democrats nevertheless voiced support for an impeachment vote on Thursday.

Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) noted that she "called for a vote to impeach Justice Thomas if he would not resign back in April—before we even knew just how much farther his corruption goes thanks to ProPublica's reporting."

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), for her part, wrote Thursday, "Today's a good day to impeach Clarence Thomas."

FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES

The $267,230 RV Clarence Thomas 'scrimped and saved to afford' was financed by wealthy friend: report ›

Why the worst may be yet to come for Clarence Thomas: report ›

'You want yachts? We got yachts': Hayes blasts 'kept man' Clarence Thomas over billionaire ties ›

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former Trump Treasury Secretary **Steve Mnuchin** is being accused – again – of lying to Congress and of breaking the law “to protect Trump’s taxes” by one of the top Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee, which just won a nearly four-year fight to obtain the ex-president’s returns.

Tuesday night the Committee voted to release six years of Donald Trump’s taxes to the public, and while Americans are waiting for that to happen the Committee’s report has revealed several bombshells about Trump’s taxes, including that IRS did not perform mandatory audits of the sitting president’s returns.

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) Tuesday night posted video of him chastising then-Secretary Mnuchin during a congressional hearing in March of 2020. Pascrell is the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Oversight.

“By refusing to turn over Donald Trump’s business and personal tax returns to this committee. I think you’re breaking the law. You have no legitimate legal rationale,” Pascrell told Mnuchin during the heated session.

Mnuchin, indignant, replied, “I am not breaking the law. You have a different interpretation. You’re not a judge and this will be determined by a court,” Mnuchin said.

“Neither are you,” Pascrell replied.

“Your stated reasons for stonewalling our requests,” Pascrell added, “you never cite any superseding legal basis. The only thing you suffer is smug rhetoric and staggering lies.”

As Pascrell accused Mnuchin of lying, the Treasury Secretary can be seen raising his eyebrows and writing a note.

After a few minutes of Pascrell reading federal law to Mnuchin he then criticized him for complying with two Republicans’ request for information on “Mr. Biden’s son’s tax returns,” presumably referring to Hunter Biden.

“We’ve learned recently that simultaneously you’ve been offering documents to the loyal opposition. When two Republican Senators asked you for the private financial information of Joe Biden’s family, your department practically tripped over themselves to provide it.”

Pascrell also blasted Mnuchin for the response he received from him letter, chastising a Mnuchin subordinate who accused him in writing of being “intemperate.”

“Being lectured on civility from someone who works for the President, President Trump, is like taking chivalry lessons from Jack the Ripper. It is impossible to be polite to corruption and people who break the law.”

Tuesday night Congressman Pascrell reiterated his accusation that Mnuchin had broken the law and lied to Congress.

“Years ago I called out trump treasury head Mnuchin for breaking the law to his face,” the New Jersey Democrat tweeted. “He lied on live TV. Tonight we learned I was right he broke the law to protect trump’s taxes.”

He also tweeted, “Tonight we learned the IRS failed to follow the law and did not audit donald trump for years. Oh yeah and trump was lying when he said he was under audit.”

“Republicans are fuming we just voted to publicly release trump’s tax returns. They’re making threats. Fact: in 2014 republicans voted to release the private tax info of 51 taxpayers as part of a sham probe. Republican lies and hypocrisy know no bounds,” Congressman Pascrell added.

Watch the video from 2020 below or at this link.

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https://www.alternet.org/2021/01/nra/

"Thoughts and prayers."

"The NRA's claimed financial status has finally met its moral status: bankrupt."

—NY Attorney General Letitia James

That is what many opponents of the National Rifle Association wryly stated in response to news that the pro-gun lobby group had officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Friday in the United States.

In a statement on its website, the NRA—which promotes the interests of the gun industry and gun owners unbothered by the unparalleled level of gun violence seen in the country—said it was leaving New York state, where it is currently registered, to restructure in Texas as part of a "new strategic plan" it is implementing.

"Thoughts and prayers to the NRA fanatical fiends who bear the blood of tens of thousands on their paws," said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) in response. "The world will be a better place when the NRA is finally destroyed. Looks like that day is closer."

While the NRA claims in the statement that it is "in its strongest financial condition in years," it said the strategic plan "involves utilizing the protection of the bankruptcy court" and "dumping New York" so that it can reincorporate in Texas to continue its activities without such a "corrupt political and regulatory environment."

Brady United, which has called for the NRA's dissolution for decades, said Friday that "news of the NRA filing for bankruptcy is just the latest proof that the NRA has cheated its members and American taxpayers in pursuit of an extremist agenda that has made our country markedly less safe."

They told us the @NRA was too powerful, that the politics were too difficult. They were wrong. Today, the @NRA fi… https://t.co/DirmJAZAay

— Peter Ambler (@Peter Ambler)1610746222.0

David Hogg—one of the survivors of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida who later became a vocal gun control advocate—was among those who welcomed the news late Friday afternoon and thanked all the tireless activism over the years focused on the NRA's deadly brand of influence peddling.

Thoughts and prayers https://t.co/bEkZ29n3WU

— David Hogg (@David Hogg )1610745956.0

"Don't read this as the NRA is going away," Hogg added. "They are not yet," he said, "but this is one step closer."

NRA fleeing New York, filing for bankruptcy, due to NY AG lawsuit (via @KLBKNews) https://t.co/xKtFWMVspi

— Violence Policy Center (@Violence Policy Center)1610749230.0

In August, as Common Dreams reported at the time, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against the NRA which sought to dissolve the organization based on widespread evidence of corruption and financial self-dealing that violated the state's requirements for nonprofit status.

In a tweet on Friday responding to the NRA's move to divorce itself from New York, James said: "The NRA's claimed financial status has finally met its moral status: bankrupt."

"While we review its bankruptcy filing," she added, "we will not allow the NRA to use this or any other tactic to evade accountability and my office's oversight."

FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES

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On Wednesday, July 13, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on and approved an amendment to a defense spending bill that called for government officials to prepare a report on examples of white supremacist and neo-Nazi activity in the U.S. military and federal law enforcement.The measure passed 218-208 and came down along party lines; all 218 of the House members who voted “yea” were Democrats, while all 208 “nays” were Republicans — a fact thatRep. Bill PascrellJr. was quick to draw attention to.

The New Jersey Democrat, in a tweet posted that Wednesday night, wrote, “We just voted to combat neo nazis in our military and every single republican voted no.”

The amendment was sponsored by Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois, a Democrat,and was part of the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The House is expected to pass the full NDAA, which will then go to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

Schneider’s amendment not only calls for the director of the FBI, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the secretary of the U.S. Defense Department to publish a report detailing examples of White supremacist and neo-Nazi activity in the U.S. Armed Forces and in federal law enforcement agencies, but also, make some recommendations on ways to combat the problem.

Schneider, speaking on the House floor on July 13, warned that the U.S., in recent years, has been suffering an increase in domestic terrorism — and he specifically mentioned the Unite the Right rally in August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia (where activist Heather Heyer was murdered) and the massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018.

The Illinois congressman warned, “Such behavior, such extremism is a threat to us in all segments of society. There is no reason to believe that our military is any different. These are exceptions; they are rare. But we must do everything we can to identify them and to thwart them before risks become a reality.”

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Sparks fly at Steve Mnuchin hearing: ‘The only thing you suffer is smug rhetoric and staggering lies’

Written by David Edwards / Raw Story March 3, 2020

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin expressed outrage during a Tuesday hearing after he was accused of breaking the law and “staggering lies.”

The confrontation occurred in the House Ways and Means Committee when Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) confronted Mnuchin on his refusal to turn over the president’s taxes to Congress.

“This isn’t going to be pretty,” Pascrell noted as he questioned the secretary. “It is impossible to be polite to corruption and people who break the law. So by refusing to turn over Donald Trump’s business and personal tax returns to this committee, I think you’re breaking the law.”

“The only thing you suffer is smug rhetoric and staggering lies,” he added.

Mnuchin immediate took exception to the congressman’s remarks.

“Let me just comment,” Mnuchin said.

“I asked a question,” Pascrell shot back.

“I’m commenting because I find it offensive that you’re telling me that I’m breaking the law and staggering lies,” Mnuchin complained.

“I asked you tell me why you’re not breaking the law,” the New Jersey Democrat pressed.

“Just to be clear,” Mnuchin replied. “There’s a third branch of government and there are courts that interpret things. This is in the courts and the courts will deal with it. So, that’s your interpretation of that law. I’m relying upon legal counsel on what is our interpretation of the law.”

“So in all due respect,” he remarked. “I’m not breaking the law. You have a different interpretation. You’re not a judge.”

“Neither are you,” Pascrell noted.

Watch the video below from The House Ways and Means Committee

https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/sparks-fly-at-steve-mnuchin-hearing-the-only-thing-you-suffer-is-smug-rhetoric-and-staggering-lies/

https://www.alternet.org/2019/06/how-post-offices-can-beat-payday-lenders/

The fight to curb payday loans has reached one of America’s oldest institutions: the Postal Service. Democratic representatives Bill Pascrell of New Jersey and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts recently introduced an amendment to the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act authorizing post offices to provide small loans, savings accounts, and other financial services. The amendment sets aside $1 million to cover any overhead. It passed the House of Representatives on June 25.

Pascrell is a longtime supporter of the Postal Service. In an April 2019 article for this magazine, he argued that the USPS is an essential institution that has been bogged down by privatization efforts. Rather than take away money from the agency, Pascrell said that Congress should expand its functions. Post offices, he noted, could bring loan and ATM access to unbanked Americans, many of whom rely on payday lenders that charge exorbitant interest rates. problem ... ;in the United States. In 2017, 6.5 percent of U.S. households were “unbanked” (no bank access), and 18.7 percent were “underbanked” (reliant on financial institutions that were not banks). Almost half of the country could not pull together $2,000 within thirty days in the event of an emergency (or at least they would struggle greatly to). Many of these people would have to take out payday loans to deal with such a shock.

“They turn to the unregulated predatory payday lenders, to check cashiers,” Pascrell told me. These lenders, he said, “keep families in poverty.”

Typical payday lenders charge interest rates of 390 percent per year, a figure so high that one out of five recipients default. A recent move by the Trump administration to slash regulation around payday loans risks making this problem even worse.

Pascrell’s solution is not wholly new. Several large countries—including China, India, Italy, and France—currently offer loans and savings accounts at post offices. American post offices offered loan and deposit services from 1911 to 1966, when millions of low-income individuals relied on them. In 1947, the post office managed $3.4 billion, the equivalent of $35 billion today, making it one of the largest financial institutions in the U.S.

But Lyndon Johnson cut the project in the 1960s as a part of a larger effort to trim government agencies. Afterwards, predatory lenders stepped in to fill the gap, offering small loans that commercial banks often avoid. To turn a profit, this new crop of lenders set sky-high interest rates that have left poorer Americans trapped in debt.

The postal service still offers one banking service: postal money orders. An inspector general report estimates that it provides roughly $21 billion of these orders—which operate like prepaid checks—to those who have no other place to store their money. The report also noted that “ZIP Codes with higher population, more poverty, and lower education levels sold more money orders.”

Pascrell and Pressley’s legislation—which also had the support of Nevada Republican Mark Amodei—would greatly expand this banking system, making post offices install new ATMs, set up deposit accounts, and hand out low-interest loans to customers. Its odds of passing the Senate are slim. But if the bill were implemented, it would offer low-income Americans inexpensive access to the U.S. financial system. A USPS inspector general study found that postal banking could provide loans at a 90 percent discount compared to what payday lenders charge.

Given its vast reach, Pascrell argued that the Postal Service was uniquely prepared to help solve America’s payday lender problem. “It’ll be a little push from us,” he said. “But they’re basically ready to do this.”

Bill Pascrell

Hours after cheating millions of middle class workers, Trump wants to send another kiss to the rich—unilaterally, without any approval from Congress," Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) wrote on Twitter late Thursday. "He ignores the law, governs for the top one percent, and doesn't give a hoot about the rest of us.

https://www.alternet.org/just-hours-after-ordering-pay-cut-millions-public-workers-trump-proposes-100-billion-gift-richest-1

nader

Ever see Congressman Pascrell (Dem. N.J.) on the Sunday morning news shows? Probably not. He’s a leader who is trying to reform Congress so that it is open, honest, capable and represents you the people. Surely you have heard of Senator Lindsey Graham (Rep. S.C.) who is making ugly excuses for Donald Trump, always pushing for war and bloated military budgets, often hating Muslims and Arabs and championing the lawless American Empire. He is always in the news, having his say.