Texas billionaire Harlan Crow, a Republican donor, for decades treated Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to expensive vacations.
On Monday, a lawyer for Crow said that attorney was willing to speak with staff members of the Judiciary Committee, although he had "concerns" about the panel's authority to investigate the situation.
Sen. Dick Durbin, the Illinois Democrat who heads the committee, and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., shot back at the lawyer's stance, and implied they might subpoena Crow. "Let's be clear: Harlan Crow doesn't call the shots here. He is not a branch — nor even a member — of government and cannot claim the protections and privileges of one," the two lawmakers said Monday .
"The Senate Judiciary Committee has clearly established oversight and legislative authority to assess and address the ethical crisis facing the Court. All options are on the table moving forward.": "I believe Justice Thomas to be a person of the highest character. He also said that it is "kind of weird to think that if you're a justice on the Supreme Court, you can't have friends."
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