Where is the investigation of Clarence Thomas?

[CanonRay]

Let me preface by saying that I spent most of my 28 year Federal career as a law enforcement officer. As such I was required year after year to file exhaustive financial disclosure reports. Exactly the same reports that Clarence Thomas filled out for each of the last twenty years. On the bottom, right where you sign, was a notice that filing a false statement was a crime, punishable by fines and/or imprisonment. Now, I wasn’t a lawyer (although I had to work with them), but it was a pretty straight forward issue. You tell the truth, your form is reviewed at Headquarters, and you keep on working.

I knew, and we all knew, despite not being lawyers, that if you lied, you could kiss your ass goodbye. Here’s what would have happened if I had lied on any of those forms. First, I would have been immediately called in and questioned by the Inspector General’s office (I know, because I investigated a few of these cases). I would probably have been suspended without pay. Then I would have been fired. Probably within a week or two. Now, I might have some appeal or other but I wouldn’t have had a snowball’s chance in Hell.

Next, the Inspector General would have made a criminal referral to the Justice Department, and pushed, hard, to get the case prosecuted. Since it’s a fairly simple statute, with no wiggle room, and I clearly had the knowledge to understand the questions, even though I wasn’t a lawyer, and because U.S. Attorneys generally like simple, straight forward easy convictions (it allows them to lose a hard one now and again), I would have been dead meat. Indicted, convicted, and praying for a minimum security joint with a tennis court. You think a jury would have any sympathy for a Federal cop who lied?

Now, let’s see the contrast with Mr. Thomas. He lied about twenty times. Consistently. About something he obviously knew. Over a declaration that it was a crime. And he is a lawyer. Not just any lawyer, but a Supreme Court Justice. No higher power there. And what happens?

Nothing.

I haven’t even heard a media report outside of DU. Admittedly, I don’t watch as much news as I used to, especially since Keith left, and this whole Egypt thing has kind of eaten up news time, but still.

Nothing.

Is there a Justice Department inquiry? And Inspector General investigation? Does anybody give a shit?

Nada.

So here’s my question. Are we a nation of laws? Is there really equal justice for all? Or is that all just bullshit and we’re just making believe.

If Clarence Thomas isn’t investigated, prosecuted and sent packing to prison, then our whole system of laws is a complete fraud, and there’s really no reason for any of the rest of us to respect or obey the law.

It’s up to you, Mr. Holder.

[Sal Minella]

1. Can't help but think of Tom Daschle (D-SD) who was pounded

to a bloody pulp over not paying taxes on the donated value of using a car somebody offered to him.

Different parties, different standards.

Edit: And yes I realize Thomas's case is not "tax evasion" but it is lying to the federal government on an income reporting form.

[blm]

14. The corporate media has NO INTEREST in the very real crimes of Republicans - they're paid to turn

any vague appearance of impropriety by a Dem into a constitutional crisis that must be given full attention by the media until the Dem has been hounded into retirement.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

89. IMPEACH THE POLITICAL GANGSTER

SCREAM FROM THE ROOFTOPS

[molly77]

103. We have no judicial system anymore

Our elections are a joke. And with the Patriot Act , suspending so much of the Bill of Rights indefinitely, shall we just be honest and not say that we are a democracy?

[molly77]

26. Most of US reading this post know that there would be no prosecution.

There is no justice unless it is equal.

[BonnieJW]

32. I wonder

if citizens can petition the Justice Dept. to prosecute a case.

[bluethruandthru]

34. Common Cause currently has a petition circulating for the Justice Dept.

to investigate Thomas and Scalia's conflict of interest in the Citizens United case.

[Selena Harris]

83. IOKIYAOD

It's OK--- if you are Opus Dei.

[Sal Minella]

84. Great bumpersticker. Or t-shirt. Or Broadway Musical. Or . . . n/t

[BenzoDia]

107. Thanks for the info. I'm unfamiliar with Common Cause, but am now very interested and researching.

[bluethruandthru]

108. You're welcome...and Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[spanone]

56. ......thus evading taxes

[Sal Minella]

65. That would be the "not paying taxes" part of the first line, yes.

I have a hunch Daschle's omission was actually an oversight on his part.

Clarence had to know his wifey had some bucks coming in, so declaring spousal income of "none" was clearly a deliberate lie on his part.

[markpkessinger]

81. Exactly.

And of course there is Bill Clinton, who was impeached for lying to Congress about a blow job that was none of Congress' business in the first place. Yet lying on a federal disclosure form, the purpose of which is to reveal conflicts of interest or improper influence, is given a pass.

[xchrom]

2. recommend

[spanone]

3. k&r....

[Frustratedlady]

4. I thought there was a petition going around that I signed...

but then, there are so many.

Of all people, a Supreme should be held to higher standards than the average person. They are laughing in our faces with all the shenanigans they pull. The HCR will be next. They'll be ROTFLTBO when they wipe out that one.

[Fumesucker]

5. We have to look forwards and not backwards, grasshopper..

Haven't you heard anything Obama has said in the last two years?

:evilgrin:

:hi:

[The Wizard]

8. Crimes happen in the past

while conspirators look to the future

[russspeakeasy]

47. Maybe Obama negotiated with him...and this is the result.

[spanone]

6. maybe if we're nice to darrel issa, he'll turn his investigations on clarence?

you think they would let a 'liberal' judge get away with this shit?

[Jakes Progress]

7. Oh, they're gonna get to it. Right after they investigate bush/cheney.

But don't worry. They're going to be on the look out for poor, government workers who spend thirty years helping people and get misquoted. They'll unload then.

[unblock]

9. hey, they got martha stewart for deleting an answering machine message.

so there is justice after all!

[CanonRay]

10. There are definately double standards

in deciding who to prosecute. I have very little faith in this Justice Dept.

[Jakes Progress]

18. But she was a Democrat.

[unblock]

24. egg zachary!

[Enthusiast]

42. And she donated to liberal causes. nt

[Demeter]

11. On Nancy Pelosi's Table, Along with War Crimes and Impeachment

We are no longer a nation of laws.

[swilton]

111. Precisely

It's with the investigation of Bybee, Yoo, Gonzales, and the rest of the Bush Crime Syndicate.

[ensho]

12. kick

nt

[MichiganVote]

13. Don't hold your breath.

[chervilant]

15. Two Things:

1) Clarence Thomas was vetted for his SCOTUS plum by many of the very same people who are remaining ominously silent about this issue.

2) Clarence Thomas' race card shenanigans ('high tech lynching' and similar statements) likely has all his conflicted supporters walking on eggshells about this issue.

The Corporate Megalomaniacs who've usurped our government, our media, and our global economy are unlikely to pursue 'justice' for this Justice. He's one of their favorite lackeys.

[madrchsod]

16. thomas is above the law and holder will do nothing.

[abelenkpe]

17. K&R please read nt

[rasputin1952]

19. Probably buried...

like his ethics and his IQ.

Seriously dumb clown there, his "robe" should be a Rodeo Clown outfit.

[abq e streeter]

20. "It's up to you Mr. Holder".....now that's one damn discouraging statement

[BlueJac]

21. We must keep looking forward......

:sarcasm:

[MsPithy]

22. Unfuckingbelievable!

We are a society that follows the RULE OF LAW, or we are not. Republicans flagrantly break any law that stands in the way of their lustful acquisition of money and power. Democrats look the other way because they are too cowardly to investigate the crimes of the rich and powerful, or they secretly wish they could be as rich and as powerful. Both sides smugly think they are "getting away with it," when the corporate press doesn't raise holy hell about these crimes. "The past is never forgotten, in fact, it is not even past." is attributed to William Faulkner.

Each time the law is broken and then ignored, we become less and less and less the United States of America.

[Enthusiast]

43. They don't care!

They are as far away from patriotic as one can get.

[11 Bravo]

23. I'm pretty sure it's "off the table".

[Democat]

25. Most Democratic politicians are cowards!

Don't expect them to do anything that might upset Republicans.

Remember the Bush years?

[rury]

27. WE THE PEOPLE need to hit the streets

a la Egypt over this!!

[Enthusiast]

44. It isn't cowardice.

The Democrats are playing a role of the less aggressive nice guy party. It's only a role -good cop. We need a third party. I mean NOW.

[FlyByNight]

28. Accountability is inversely proportional...

...to your government/corporate status. The greater the status, the less accountability one has.

:puke:

[CanonRay]

29. Did you hit the nail on the head

A truth for the ages.

[indepat]

30. The investigation of Clarence Thomas Thomas will begin promptly on the

12th of never. :cry:

[Oldtimeralso]

48. And All This TIme I Thought It Was Scheduled For

February 31.

[Hawkowl]

31. We are a nation of TWO laws

One to keep the rabble in line, and another, to let the wealthy and those in power do whatever the fuck they want. It has been a complete downhill slide ever since Ford pardoned Nixon. We are the ultimate Banana Republic.

[bluethruandthru]

33. Wish I could rec this a hundred times! n/t

[FourScore]

35. k/r

[SpiralHawk]

36. k and r

equal justice for all

[crazyjoe]

37. yikes, what did i miss?

[CanonRay]

57. Don't feel bad, it was easy to miss

since nobody's talking about it. Thomas lied on his financial disclosure forms for the last 20 years about his wife's work at the right wing think tank. Nothing to see here.

[Gregorian]

38. It's over there with the grand jury indictment of Kissinger.

It always takes 30 years. By then the people have forgotten, or don't care. Or the facts will have been twisted. Sorry, the powerful don't do justice.

[Enthusiast]

45. The Timothy Geethner worked for

Kissinger Associates. Just saying.

[frylock]

53. in ten years or so we'll leak the truth..

but by then, it's only so much paper

-dead kennedys

[judesedit]

39. Think about it...Bush, Cheney, Thomas...tip of the iceberg. I wonder how many criminals we truly

have in our "esteemed" government???? I'll wager 60% at least. And that's probably naive. Probably more like 90%.

[judesedit]

40. And that includes city, county, and state governments, also.

Disgusting and pathetic.

[Enthusiast]

46. Probably. nt

[Enthusiast]

41. Mr. Holder is a sell out

just like Mr. Obama.

[craigmatic]

49. We've never been a nation of laws, sir. It's always been about who your connections are.

Just look no further than the bush administration as proof.

[yourout]

50. It will happen after they prosecute Bush and Cheney.

[salinen]

51. Investigation...

hahahahah....of....hahahaah.....Clarence.....hahahaha......Thomas......hahahaha.....

man, you might have some career in comedy.

[ironrooster]

52. are we a nation of laws? nope.

[Citizen Worker]

54. No, and no in answer to your two questions near the end of the post. We began veering away from the

hallowed "rule of law" when Clinton publicly announced there would not be an investigation of Reagan/Bush and Iran/Contra which was followed by serial violations of law by Bush/Cheney and Pelosi's very public statement that "impeachment is off the table." During the Clinton years every time I heard him utter the phrase "rule of law" I cringed. I cringed because while Clinton had the temerity to utter this hollow platitude I watched the prisons fill with Black and Brown people. Yes, there is the rule of law for the "little people" but not for the powerful and well placed. Clarence Thomas will NOT be investigated let alone prosecuted.

[loudsue]

55. No. The US constitution is, as george bush said "just a piece of paper".

This country has not existed as "justice for all" ... maybe ever. The equality thingy is a lie. Money, power and privilege in this country creates two types of justice: one for the powerful, one for the rest of us.

[smiley]

58. no - we are not a nation of laws

at least for the rich and powerful.

And that should've been evident when Bush and Cheney and their entire criminal cabal walked away scot-free.

[KansDem]

59. That reality and the reality that no one from Wall Street or the banking scandals..

...have been investigated, prosecuted, and, if found guilty, imprisoned, have done it for me.

I have very little optimism regarding the future of this country...

[guardian]

60. I haven't been following this/Justice Thomas.

What crime/lie in your opinion has the best case of being successfully prosecuted? I mean it would help in writing my congressman/senator if I could say something specific.

[CanonRay]

78. Title 18 USC 1001

False Statements. For starters. Easiest thing in the world to prove. I'm sure there's also a specific cite on the form, but it's been a few years and I don't remember the citation. I suspect it is in Title 42. I'm not a lawyer, remember LOL!

[MissDeeds]

61. We do not investigate crimes at higher levels in this country

We look forward.

:sarcasm:

[ElsewheresDaughter]

62. That's what I have been asking for months

[robertpaulsen]

63. You're right. It is "all just bullshit and we’re just making believe."

If it's up to http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=405x9608">Mr. Holder to change that, I won't hold my breath.

But where is everyone else? You're right, I've only seen mention of this on DU. Why hasn't moveon.org sent a petition to my inbox?

[tpsbmam]

64. Wow, very powerful OP. I hope you'll put this (maybe without the "bullshit"`

:P) into letter form and send it to Holder. Very, very powerful!

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[era veteran]

66. Looks open and shut to me.

Especially since he disclosed for a few years and then quit. The great irony is that the money she 'earned' was from the Heritage Foundation.

Grifters live at all levels.

[golddigger]

67. The whole system of laws has been a complete

joke for some time now.

[truth2power]

68. Holder sure can mobilize himself to seat a grand jury

to try to find a way to indict Julian Assange for exposing the filth and war crimes the US govt. engages in. Yep....jumped right on that, he did.

But call one of their own to account? Oh, never mind! We must look forward.

There are no words for the contempt I feel for Holder and his ilk. Alberto Gonzales was a crook. So, what's changed?

[seafan]

100. Amen.

The quaint "rule of law" in our country is AWOL.


Except when it comes to Julian Assange or Democrats.

[ThoughtCriminal]

69. No. No. Yes.

I think that covers it.

[rhett o rick]

70. He represents the Ruling Class and will not be investigated. nm

[Paka]

71. I'm waiting for a petition...

and ready to sign. Or should I say, ready to sigh, since I don't expect to see one soon. Don't ever expect justice when it comes to the rich and powerful.

[KansDem]

72. "Where is the investigation of Clarence Thomas?"

Probable in a folder underneath the folders marked "Investigation of Bush/Cheney Torture," "Investigation of the Plame Outing," "Investigation of the 2000 Election," "Investigation of 9/11 Inaccuracies," and "Investigation of Why Bush Sat and Did Nothing on 9/11"

[cling2reality]

88. Damn, I would give anything for

Democrats with spines. They just lay down and take it.
Son of a bitch, sometimes you gotta fight a little.
Wow!

[lovuian]

73. I agree there is no Justice in the Justice Department

Thomas should be impeached

[Canuckistanian]

74. An investigation by Holder? Only if Thomas had smoked pot.

Hell, I'd smoke pot if I were married to Ginny.

[valerief]

75. He's above the law. Laws are for the rabble. Who can force an investigation? nt

[avaistheone1]

93. Laws like taxes are only for the little people, they are not for Judge Thomas

[WinkyDink]

76. We haven't been a nation of laws since at least 2000.

[LawnKorn]

77. Investigation? I want to see Impeachment

I want to see indictment.

I want to see Clarence Thomas doing hard time in Leavenworth.

[lordsummerisle]

79. I thought I was done being outraged for a while

but I was wrong...
k&r

[Toon Me Out]

80. jail.

jail!

[lunasun]

82. Where is the investigation of Clarence Thomas?

It is in a 'circular file' along with the investigations of Bush, Cheney , Rummy etc.
Wish I could be more optimistic
but never gonna happen IMO

[Miss_Underestimated]

85. how was the panel that investigated Charlie Rangel convened? what were the

criteria for launching an investigation? would the same criteria apply to Clarence Thomas?

[Name removed]

86. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bertman]

87. Amen!!! Impeach the sorry bastard! Rec. nt

[Toon Me Out]

90. again...jail!

handcuffs, squad car....y'know, that whole bit. Bernie Madoff has...needs.

[Kurovski]

91. K&R

Goddamnit.

[pam4water]

92. Good question. K&R

[upi402]

94. Holder, keeping his powder dry

Yeah, rule of law is gone and 'they' will find it coming back to bite them.


g/l

[tavalon]

95. Mr. Holder

You need to open an investigation. Do it.

[tomp]

96. "nation of laws"...what a quaint concept. nt

[lonestarnot]

97. Disgusting pig can run amock and get away with it. Laws are only for little people.

[fasttense]

98. I am afraid there is no law or justice in this country anymore.

The bushes get away with torture and murder of POWs. Dick the Cheney gets away with serious conflict of interest (Halliburton and defense contracts) and shooting a guy in the face while drunk. Ensign, the adulterer who bribed his mistress's husband, is still in the Senate. Scooter Libby pardoned for outing a CIA agent.

And The black robed junta that facilitated this mess continues to get a free pass.

There is no law, there is no justice. We are allowed freedom at the whims of corporate swine.

[Loge23]

99. Your last line answers the question.

This will never be investigated, let alone prosecuted.
Holder already took a pass at several trees of low-lying fruit.
Holder has been a major disappointment in my view.
Perhaps he needs a challenge.

[Sienna86]

101. Office of Government Ethics Form 450 (OGE Form 450)

This is the form, or would very similar to the form completed by Justice Thomas.

[hay rick]

102. Justice is the interest of the stronger.

Thrasymachus is the philosopher of this age.

[Plucketeer]

104. Anyone know of how or where I can start a petition for this?

I find it amazing that I can't find a petition calling for investigation into this. Heh - maybe we need to go "Egyptian" over these injustices!

[Nikki4CommonCause]

105. There is a petition asking DOJ to investigate Thomas' failure to disclose

Common Cause needs every signature we can get on our petition: http://bit.ly/gc8z4E.

If an investigation is going to happen, it has to be demanded by the people. There are many layers to the conflicts of interest, failure to disclose, and political participation of some Supreme Court justices, but right now there is little oversight for our highest court, and even less enforcement of regulations.

Here's a link to Common Cause's letter to Attorney General Holder: http://bit.ly/dOASlW. At the bottom of that page, you can view a PDF of all our documentation for the letter.

[Billsmile]

106. Maybe....

His wife's income is viewed as just talk from a friend (since it's how corporate front groups express opinions: them being people and all).

[BigAnth]

109. The problem with impeachment is that it needs to start

in the House of Representatives. It's not very likely that the House is going to do anything about this even though it is clearly an impeachable offense.

[WCGreen]

110. Well said, well laid out....

I can only kick, to late to recommend..

[CRH]

112. You need to ask after Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, ...

and the whole PNAC crowd, walked free from all prosecution.

You will have to satisfied with Delay, who probably will never see a day in lockup.