Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas condemned the “nastiness” and lies” he and his wife, Ginni, have faced in the last few years.
Thomas has faced scrutiny over accepting lavish, undisclosed gifts from billionaire friends while his wife, Ginni, has faced criticism over trying to overturn the 2020 general election results.
The revelation about failing to disclose gifts came after an investigation by ProPublica revealed the judge went on luxury vacations that were paid for by Harlan Crow, a Republican mega-donor.
“My wife and I, the last two or three years, just the nastiness and the lies,” Thomas told attendees at a judicial conference in Alabama on Friday, according to The New York Times. “There’s certainly been a lot of negativity in our lives, my wife and I, over the last few years, but we choose not to focus on it.”
Thomas spoke about the criticism during the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit Judicial Conference, held in Point Clear, Ala. The conference was convened by the 11th circuit judges of Florida, Georgia and Alabama ,“to consider the business of the courts and to discuss means of improving the administration of justice within the circuit.”
The nation’s highest court adopted an ethics code in November 2023, after justices faced increased scrutiny over undisclosed trips and gifts.
The longest-serving justice on the court discussed a variety of topics during his hour-long appearance, in which former court clerk and current federal judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, interviewed him.
During the talk, Thomas also slammed Washington, D.C.
“Especially in Washington, people pride themselves in being awful,” Thomas said, according to The Times. “It’s a hideous place, as far as I’m concerned. Because the rest of the country, it’s one of the reasons we like R.V.-ing, you get to be around regular people who don’t pride themselves in doing harmful things, merely because they have the capacity to do it.”