Former Vice President Mike Pence defended Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas against what he called malicious attacks on a Black conservative jurist.
Taking to Twitter, Pence claimed that Thomas has been “maliciously attacked by the left” since he was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1991, highlighting that President Joe Biden, who at the time was a Senator, was part of those attacking Thomas.
Pence added that those “attacks on his character are continuing today, and it’s appaling to see.”
Thomas has been criticized for several Supreme Court ethics violations.
The criticism stemmed from a ProPublica report that showed the Supreme Court Justice had failed to report donations he received from Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow.
However, those who defend Thomas insist he followed the court’s reporting guidelines.
As Democrats and the media called for reforms, Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D) went as far as to suggest a Department of Justice investigation was necessary.
But Pence urged Americans to stand up for the conservative Justice.
Pence wrote that he “stand[s] with Justice Clarence Thomas,” calling all Americans to defend Clarence, who he described as a “good man and principled jurist.”
Pence described Thomas as “a man of integrity,” noting the Justice has “an inspiring personal story” and upholds “the ideals enshrined in our Constitution.”
Pence also claimed the U.S. “is fortunate” to have Justice Thomas serving on the nation’s highest court.
A follow-up report by ProPublica published on Thursday (May 4) revealed that Thomas’ nephew, whom Thomas and his wife started taking care of in 1997, had his tuition to two private schools paid for by Crow.
