Grassley, fellow Senate Judiciary Republicans in Crow’s pockets

WASHINGTON, DC – Today’s new revelations are just the latest in the highly problematic relationship between billionaire GOP megadonor Harlan Crow and Justice Clarence Thomas. In the wake of a string of Supreme Court scandals, Chief Justice Roberts has refused to act, dodging his own responsibility and forcing Congress to step in. But while Senate Judiciary Democrats are holding Roberts accountable, Republicans like Sen. Chuck Grassley are too busy pulling political stunts to address what has become a full-blown Supreme Court legitimacy crisis.

Instead of digging up debunked conspiracies and pulling political stunts, Senator Grassley should focus on the corruption crisis plaguing the Court. Maybe the tens of thousands of dollars that Harlan Crow has stuffed into Grassley’s pockets can help explain why the Senator is more interested in conspiracies than corruption.”

Accountable.US president Kyle Herrig.

For decades, Sen. Grassley has bragged about his action on Supreme Court transparency. His official website calls him an advocate for “greater accountability in the federal judiciary” — and he even sponsored a 1998 bill to require lower court judges to disclose travel expenses. But when given the opportunity to take action on a pattern of unprecedented ethics issues at the highest level, Grassley dodged, instead slamming plans to create a Supreme Court code of ethics as a “hit job.”

What changed? $46,600 in contributions to Grassley and his affiliated PACs from none other than Harlan Crow himself. Now, the Senator who once claimed judicial transparency as a key issue is slamming court reform and crying conspiracy instead.

Grassley isn’t the only Senate Judiciary Republican decrying court reform while accepting big bucks from Crow. Republican members of the Committee have accepted nearly half a million dollars in campaign contributions from the billionaire GOP megadonor.

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