Washington(CNN) Democratic Rep. repeated. New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday called for the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas after revelations that he did not disclose several luxury trips supported by a Republican megadonor.
In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union,” Ocasio-Cortez called for an inquiry into the matter, saying “It’s the responsibility of the House to pursue that investigation in the form of impeachment. “
“I think we have to stay the course. And if Republicans decide to protect lawbreakers, then they are responsible for that decision,” he said of the House GOP majority, which may or may not continue. such an investigation. “But we don’t have to be complicit in that.”
Ocasio-Cortez first called for Thomas’ impeachment on Twitter on Thursday after a bombshell report by ProPublica detailed his travel paid for by Republican donor Harlan Crow, which included trips on the donor’s yacht and private jet.
Thomas said Friday that he did not disclose the luxury trip because he was advised at the time “by colleagues and others in the judiciary” that he did not need to report it.
In a rare statement sent through the Supreme Court’s public information office, Thomas said the trips he and his wife, conservative activist Ginni Thomas, took with the Crows were “kind of of personal hospitality from close personal friends” without advising him. requires disclosure.
Ocasio-Cortez called the trips “a serious, serious problem” and said Chief Justice John Roberts “must now come forward and declare if he allowed and allowed this type of gross corruption to occur in this that court.”
“I think, when it comes to Justice Thomas’ statement, when he talks about his colleagues, and when he talks about who advised him to break the law, I think we need to know who those people are, ” he said.
Two dozen Democratic lawmakers from both chambers sent a letter to Roberts on Friday, calling for a “prompt, thorough, independent and transparent investigation” into whether ethics rules and laws were violated. of Thomas’ travels.
But Ocasio-Cortez said she doesn’t trust the Supreme Court to conduct an internal investigation, saying, “what we’re seeing now is a violation of the law.”
The ProPublica report described Thomas as receiving travel hospitality from Crow with multiple trips to Indonesia, New Zealand, California, Texas and Georgia. Some of the trips reportedly included traveling on Crow’s super yacht or staying at properties owned by Crow or his company.
This story has been updated with additional information.