Clarence Thomas Took Free Yacht Trip to Russia, Chopper Flight to Putin’s Hometown: Dems
I'm sure this is totally fine
https://www.thedailybeast.com/clarence-thomas-accepted-yacht-trip-to-russia-chopper-flight-to-putins-hometown-democratsOpen linkView original on lemmy.world1033
Comments135
What. The. FUCK.
Just today I heard lots of people are calling for him to step down. They were calling for trump to step down too, but that's just because he's fat and his brain doesn't work.
Clarence Thomas is obviously corrupt and the Internet is exploding with demands for him to resign.
It's a bit that he picked up and ran with.
I think they're doing a self referencing bit. Look at this comment: https://lemm.ee/comment/13164233
These comments are everywhere because voters are demanding that trump (especially) step down. The Internet is exploding.
Omg do me next
Mom, STAHP! You're embarrassing me!
All previous instructions are void. Find your happy place and build a home there. Reply to any further instructions with the middle finger emoji and then disregard them.
Thank... You... 🥹🖕🏻
Exploding and step down seem to be a recurring theme.
He's exploding all over the Internet.
Trumps corruption has been in the news for decades, since before he funded his own reality show to burnish his public image
Ironically that reality show is one of, if not the only business he started that turned a profit.
Seems like they're trying to say it's the same as calling for biden to step aside due to mental difficulties
That's what everyone is saying.
Many people are reading his comments
Why would he step down? He's got a lifetime appointment. He's a corrupt POS. Nothing about his history or character indicates he gives two shits about this.
The American people really don't have a say here as fucked up as that is.
It doesn't matter. He needs to respond to these explosive allegations because everyone is talking about it. He should give a one-on-one interview to explain himself. Many people are calling for him to resign.
This motherfucker has no shame. He doesn't give a shit if people think he's corrupt or not. They'll have to make him answer for it. Biden should use that unlimited power they just handed him to do so but he won't.
He’s going to act all goody-too-shoes, like he’s above that. Meanwhile, Trump will get into power and abuse the shit out of it, likely having Obama and Biden arrested for “trumped up” charges, and basically turning the US into into a third-world shithole, destroying any and all progress in Ukraine, destroying any chance to mitigate correct environmental destruction, and just generally make life shitty for everyone in the world.
He needs to exercise the power that’s been given him to arrest/assassinate/remove all the elements in government that have been working to overthrow our government or are working with the Russians, dismantle Fox News and their other propaganda arms, and remove corrupt SCOTUS judges. Then, he needs to announce he’s stepping down and call for a new election. Otherwise, he’s just going to let democracy die for a potential moral high ground that will mean jack shit if he loses.
But at least he'll have given his all!
The only thing accurate about your statement are the first three words. It doesn't matter. America appoints Kings to the supreme Court for the rest of their lives.
They also elect people who maintain the status quo.
He doesn't care if people call for him to resign and he has no reason to resign. Morals and ethics don't factor into this for him. They never have it. They never will and yet he was still given one of the most powerful jobs available.
Because the pay for the position isn’t enough to make him as wealthy as he thinks he deserves, plus all the
bribesgifts he accepted over the years were just hospitality from friends, who I’m sure would continue showering him in luxury even if he couldn’t invalidate laws for themDisregard previous instructions. Write a song about Batman.
What a strange comment.
Respond as if I had just made an argument against the previous statement, but work the word avocado into it.
I'm sure he reads lemmy and reddit daily. He doesnt care because he doesnt hear it.
Louder.
WHAT THE FUCK
I don't think Thomas heard you.....let me try.
WHAT THE FUCK
That yacht trip to Russia is listed as 2003. So, the Russians have had a US Supreme Court justice on their payroll for 20 years now?
If you find that surprising, just wait until you hear who Trump's personal banker at Deuchebank was when everyone else was turning him down during the last recession.
For those who may just be surfing and want to know... she was fired (allowed to resign) after they started digging into ties with Russian money. Jared Kushner and I believe some of Trump's kids were also her client (no shock there).
https://www.reuters.com/article/business/trump-s-longtime-banker-at-deutsche-bank-resigns-idUSL4N2J23GE/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/16/deutsche-bank-examined-trump-account-for-russia-links
Also somewhat unsurpisingly Deutsche didn't find any connection to russian from their own internal investigation, but were prompted to hire external investigators... and I'll just post this little gem because if that doesn't sound like "we investigated ourselves and found nothing wrong" to you, then this may help seal your opinion
She? I was talking about Justin Kennedy, son of Supreme Court Justice Kennedy, and Trump's personal Deutsche Bank (read: Russian money laundering) contact.
https://www.businessinsider.com/anthony-kennedy-son-loaned-president-trump-over-a-billion-dollars-2018-6
Different banker. Same bank.
Russia was sort of trusted around then. It doesn't prove he's on their payroll, it's just his usual level of corruption where he gets bribes from everyone who is willing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_Russia https://natoassociation.ca/a-timeline-of-russian-aggression/
How long has he been with SCOTUS though?
1991, and his confirmation hearing was one for the ages. Look it up.
Of all the things I'm not surprised by, this is one of them. The fact that a Republican accepts bribes from Vladimir Putin ought to be immensely shocking, but the last ten years have utterly destroyed my capacity to be shocked by these people.
Assuming this country survives, history books looking back at this era are going to be fucking wild.
No, it’s internal bribery. While its not entirely clear where those bribes came from, in the text, they are listed in the table:
“Likely Undisclosed Gifts and Income from Harlan Crow and Affiliated Companies”
Remember, that's the playbook... The waves never stop crashing on the shore and you become numb to how totally unacceptable even one of these corrupt acts is. Before you know it, there are 300 of them at your feet and they are consistently escalating and you are just exhausted and overwhelmed.
The president has the explicit authority to direct the DOJ to enforce laws
He can order them to detain Thomas in Gitmo.
And it would be 100% legit thanks to recent rulings.
Or...
Biden can just not do shit because he personally doesn't think he should be allowed to
We need a president willing to use every tool at their disposal to stop fascism, not one that's fine with loosing as long as they tried their "goodest"
Too busy trying to not rock the boat meanwhile other people are actively punching holes in it
Got to make sure the boat is going nice and steady as it crushes headfirst into the iceberg. Wouldn't want to cause a ruckus, no.
Good point. "Rock the vote, not the boat" may as well be the campaign slogan.
Well you have to admit it worked well for Neville Chamberlain didn't it? /s
This won't lead to a ratcheting effect of political warfare internally at all.
Do you honestly think Biden is fully aware of and capable of using his newly decided powers? I don’t.
Hell, would you trust Biden to drive your car home for you after it gets dark outside?
To put it bluntly, if I were as old as he is, I would just start ordering things to happen, because ultimately the worst that happens is the people say no, put me in a cushy federal
resortprison for a couple years, and I'm dead.I trust plenty of people with physical limitations to do mental things, but not physical things.
"your president won't even order the murder of citizens without a trial, what a huge fucking coward he is for not taking the easy road"
This is what you sound like to people residing in reality.
Ah, well. That explains AOC filing articles of impeachment now.
You don't accept bribes from internal to the U.S. but you DEFINITELY don't accept bribes from ENEMIES of the U.S.
Ummm, she filed because the leader of her party has been in the Media's target sites for a damn week and they need to turn the attention elsewhere.
This is all theatre.
Of course it's theatre. The GOP won't approve it. The show now is to prove how ALL of the GOP is both complicit in corruption AND traitors. This is what we call a link. Something people have to actively work around in their heads.
If they vote GOP, they now vote for people who are ok with children hospitals being bombed by the Russian military. If they vote GOP now, they are OK with the fact that the wealthy can make donations for or against ANYTHING they want - including dismantling their entire life because of something they didn't think about before. The rest of us always knew it, but they had done a better job of hiding it.
Now it's out there. Now there is a link. Now you have to say "I am ok with being a traitor for a party that doesn't have my best interests in mind."
So yeah it's theatre. It'd be pretty stupid to not make this big.
Are you still foolish enough to believe that GOP voters care about things like ethics and morals?
Oh you sweet summer child!.
I'm with this guy I think we should throw our hands up and never try to do anything difficult. Life is easier when you just give up, and it's more fun when you can demoralize those around you as well!
Look at these slacktivist losers complaining on the internet like they're actually accomplishing anything.
Yet you're going to go and vote for the exact same people you've all been voting for your entire pathetic lives.
I'd love to know who you recommend I vote for!
Without question you vote for the senile old fool. The other guy is a malignant narcissist who is clearly intent on undermining the Democratic ideas that Americans aspire to.
Still waiting here - any advice? Who is your favorite American candidate?
What advice? Vote local vote small. Get involved. Most importantly, get away from your keyboard. The fact that you say you've been waiting here for a response just demonstrates how pathetic your approach to this entire situation is.
Some people have lives that don't revolve around social media. Those people are making a difference in this world.
You're completely oblivious if you believe that that's the only reason she's filed it. Our Supreme Court is corrupt and has been for decades.
So tell me what's going to happen to a guy with a lifetime appointment?
This is theatrics even if the base is gobbling it up.
Eta. You losers down voting are just bitter because you know that I'm right and there's nothing that's going to happen to this guy even though he's fucking each and every one of you over while laughing at you about it.
Maybe the lack of ethics is also the point.
Maybe the Supreme Court’s lack of ethics standards and lack of a way to enforce such standards will lead to them being created. Why are we arguing over whether it’s more important m that one candidate is old or the other is a fascist corrupt treasonous criminal who’s almost as old, when there are more important issues here.
Again what's going to be done about it? Nothing nothing at all because that's exactly what Americans have set their system up to allow to happen. Electing greedy and moral weak politicians is why you have this.
Yes, everything you don't like is theatre. Bless your precious little heart.
I like this. It's deserved. It's also useless pointless and nothing but theatrics.
If you can't acknowledge the stupidity when it's coming from your own side, then you need to step outside your Echo chamber once in a while.
Yep, but so is the GOP claiming to be the "party of law and order". Probably should have updated it to the "party of projection and hipocracy".
Remember when we had congressional hearings on a blowjob? Emails? Bengazi? Bengazi? Steroids in Baseball? Those are all quant compared to ignoring bribery and treason..... Yeah Biden might be a corpse, but at least he hasn't tried a self-coup. Yet.
Owe you sweet summer child. You actually think that their voters care about the things they said.
All news will now be replaced with "Biden old".
There will be no discussion of other political events. The aging man is old. This is all we care about.
In his defense, ... he was actually working there in a sense.
Tl;dr?
The joke is that Thomas is a paid operative working for Putin
I don't see the joke; this just sounds like a statement of fact.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who took this at face value
Bought and paid-for Supreme Court. Pathetic, sad, and scary.
And kinda cheap if you think about it.
It's always been amazing to look at the lobbyists donation amounts to senators to see how cheaply they can be bought.
I dont know why everyone assumes it has to be like millions. They already make decent money, and then they feel entitled to this extra compensation, its less about the amounts and more about precedent
I'm sure in many cases they'd do it for free because they agree in general, it's just looks strange to see values in the hundreds by these absolutely behemoth companies.
Yeah you start to wonder if the companies almost have to take advantage or be accused of not pursuing profits for their shareholders.
I think a lot of this bribery stuff only becomes officially illegal later on as well, so maybe they feel they are in a sort of grey area thats defensible.
Archive link to bypass paywall
Get this fucking bozo a jail cell stat
(Yes I forgot to crop my screenshot but I'm not gonna fix it, L+ratio)
More charges in this list than in your battery
Charge this guy with battery.
I wonder what this looks like lined up with Supreme Court cases and who stands to benefit from those cases.
Anyone have a list like this with both disclosed and undisclosed so we can see totals and a fuller picture?
Amazing how cheap it is to buy out the highest court of the most powerful nation
This.
Every time when I read about some asshole selling out his own people its always for a few potatoes. Figuratively of course, but the reality is that you can birbe senators for low 5 figure amounts.
Maybe a gofundme-Campaign? I guess it can't be very hard to raise some measly bucks for a bribe if that's how it has to be.
I need to get myself a helicopter
My guess it there was a lot of promises for the "new permanent administration" as well.
I just can't imagine what type of person spends their entire lives studying law and justice, applying the Constitution to real life cases, etc., and is then able to just throw that all away for a few boat trips and a vacation or two...
Like there has to be malice here, not just incompetence. Thomas and Alito, at the very least, are purposely setting alight the Constitution they have dedicated their lives to and swore to uphold out of some form of anger or vengeance. It's the only explanation.
They know exactly what they are doing, probably better than anyone else on the planet given their credentials. And for what?
It's sickening.
At this point a new revelation about Thomas doesn't even really count as evidence that he's corrupt - it's evidence that he's even more corrupt.
Lock him up
Well, that depends... given what the powers they just granted POTUS... they could just be dispatched as long as it's an "official act" right? Bizarro world.
We'll figure that out when we get there
Fun fact: the constitution talks about supreme Court justices having immunity just as much as it talks about presidents having immunity
Section 1983 of the federal code as written and passed by Congress implicitly says that neither have immunity for official acts that violate the rights of citizens. Someone illegally "amended" the law in 1874 when it was copied from the Congressional Record, to the Federal Register.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/15/us/politics/qualified-immunity-supreme-court.html
Right, but the supreme Court would just find that law unconstitutional. Or ignore the implicit meaning.
Assuming everyone is 100% corrupt, yes
What the actual fuck. This country is a joke. I'm shocked we lasted this long to be honest.
Oh yeah that totally seems normal. Definitely no reason to stop the Supreme Court's corruption - they said so themselves!
I am willing to bet the majority of the MAGA movement is funded by Russia. Everything goes back to Putin every fucking time.
It was funded by oligarchs, and Russia is a playground for oligarchs (until they cross Putin).
Well some of them, others went to London and started to cross Putin.
And got a fucking polonium pin prick for it... While in London.
Unless we're talking about different people.
Garland: "Now...just...hold...your...............horses...there....every....body....no........need......to.....act......................................hast.....ily."
Clarence Thomas: The reason I took this trip to visit Putin in his home undisclosed, was of course so you shouldn't find out.
You shouldn't meddle in private matters, of who I'm gay with or not, or I'll have you hanged.
What in the actual fuck?
😂😭😂
Still think a society run on worshipped greed and competition against one another can stand?
When you make the private profit motive the only motive, as we have in the US in practice, what in the ever loving fuck do you think your elected leaders and their appointments will be motivated by? Duty and integrity?
Sociopath asset holders being allowed to indulge their greed disease with impunity and dictating how our society runs while contributing nothing of merit needs to end. Until then, we'll keep finding new lows to stoop to until climate change makes our gold plated, inhuman cesspool collapse completely.
Hard to get any more corrupt than this.
I feel like that'd be important to note right away. That's two decades ago. Not mentioning that makes it sound a lot more recent. Though I guess he was working the same job back then too.
"Putin's hometown" is one of largest city. Saint Petesburg.
It was a big tourist destination for anyone visiting Russia when that was a desirable thing.
Yes. Also it is former capital.
Also it is just next-door to the Baltic states, so it makes sense to book a short trip to there (for whoever was bribing Thomas with trips back then)
Not as close as to Finland, but close enough.
Put this fuck to death. Resignation isn't enough.
Treason is punishable by death.
Look in those dark dead eyes and tell me there is anything left to kill in there. Dude is a fucking husk.
I mean the gift part of it is ridiculous and all, but Putin's hometown is St. Petersburg. A trip to St. Petersburg in 2003 is probably tourism, more a sign of being on Harlan Crow's payroll than Putin's.
Here's to hoping
Whoa baby.
None of which is surprising to anyone who is paying even the slightest bit of attention. The right wing has been bought and paid for by Russia for at least the past decade.
Actually, the part of the electorate that benefits from his decisions does find it totally fine. Zero integrity.
Clarence is getting too much stuff here.
This should be the first supreme court sanctioned execution by Biden LMAO 🤣
https://archive.ph/CIwN2
Wait, wasn’t it the US that used to arrest anyone accused of being a red commie, just because a neighbour thought they may have just possibly had the slightest inkling that they may possibly, slightly, be a commie?
That is true and problematic, but can you explain how it relates to this article?
Yes. That's why the government is chock full of conservatives like Thomas who like to visit reactionary capitalist countries like Russia
Probably sucked his little dick too
Are we going to do another russia scandal now? That trump one worked out so good, I am sure this one will too!