Ginni Thomas' Dark Money Ties Bubble to the Surface
A conservative activist group led by Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, collected $600,000 in anonymous donations to challenge the left on cultural issues from 2019 to early 2022, according to a Washington Post investigation. The funds were channeled through a right-wing D.C.-based think tank, Capital Research Center (CRC), in a 'fiscal sponsorship' that allowed Crowdsourcers for Culture and Liberty to avoid disclosure requirements. This is the first reported example of anonymous donors backing Ginni Thomas's activism since she founded a conservative charity over a decade ago.
The investigation not only raises questions about the transparency of the funds but also about the relationship between Ginni Thomas's advocacy and her husband's role as a Supreme Court justice. Recent months have seen the high court under increased scrutiny regarding potential conflicts of interest and access to justices by wealthy activists.
Ginni Thomas's lawyer, Mark Paoletta, asserts that she is proud of her work with Crowdsourcers and that there is no plausible conflict of interest for Justice Thomas. Neither the Supreme Court nor Clarence Thomas has responded to questions on the matter.
“She believes Crowdsourcers identified the Left’s dominance in most cultural lanes, while conservatives were mostly funding political organizations,” Paoletta wrote. “In her work, she has complied with all reporting and disclosure requirements
In 2019, the Capital Research Center (CRC), a distinguished think tank, obtained a sizable $596,000 contribution from anonymous donors, allocated for Crowdsourcers, as recorded in tax and audit documents submitted to state authorities. A substantial portion ($400,000) was channeled via an auxiliary nonprofit, Donors Trust, recognized as a depository for contributions from unidentified affluent patrons endorsing conservative agendas, whom the Trust distributes funds to accordingly.
The provided documents do not disclose the utilization of the considerable sum or the intricacies of Ginni Thomas's prospective remuneration.
The CRC, positioning itself as an investigative think tank, dedicates its efforts to unmasking clandestine influence campaigns masterminded by unions, environmental organizations, and left-leaning nonprofits. The CRC's board of trustees comprises conservative figure and former Reagan-era Attorney General Edwin Meese III. Scott Walter, a former assistant to President George W. Bush, presides as the organization's president.
Concurrent with the CRC's resolution to allocate the concealed donations to Crowdsourcers, the think tank advocated a brief requesting the Supreme Court to evaluate a case that conservatives opined could restrict fuel emission regulations in Oregon. Nevertheless, the court refrained from examining the case, and individual verdicts rendered by the justices, following customary protocols, were kept undisclosed.
It is apparent that Ginni Thomas’ involvement with these organization could, at the very least give an impression of a conflict of interest for Justice Clarence Thomas.