GOP Donor Paid for Clarence Thomas’ Grandnephew’s Private School: Report

Billionaire GOP donor Harlan Crow paid private school tuition for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ grandnephew, according to a new report from ProPublica (Lean Left bias). 

The Details: According to ProPublica, Thomas did not report the tuition payments in annual disclosures. Thomas reportedly sent his grandnephew to a private boarding school in 2008, but the tuition — over $6,000 per month — was paid by Crow. Thomas reportedly took legal custody of the grandnephew when he was six, and was “raising him as a son.” 

For Context: Thomas has been a focal point for critics of Supreme Court ethics standards since last year's reports on his wife’s connections to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. ProPublica also previously reported that Crow had paid for several trips taken, but not disclosed, by the Supreme Court justice. The reaction among politicians has been fairly partisan, with Republicans defending Thomas and Democrats calling for investigations. 

How the Media Covered It: Coverage from the right tended to highlight a friend of Thomas who said it was “despicable” that the media had “dragged” the grandnephew “into their effort to smear Justice Thomas.” Some coverage from the right also highlighted potential ethics violations by liberal justices. Coverage from the left was less sympathetic to Thomas; Insider (Lean Left bias) highlighted that the school Thomas’ grandnephew attended had been accused of using child labor.