Editor's note: Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is the host of SiriusXM radio's daily program “The Dean Obeidallah Show.” Follow him @DeanObeidallalalalala.ai. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinions on CNN.
CNN
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On Monday, the GOP-controlled House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Donald Trump ally Rep. Jim Jordan, is set to hold field hearing in New York City under the title “Victims of Violent Crime in Manhattan.” Statement views the hearing as an examination of how, in the words of the Judiciary Committee, the policies of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg “have led to an increase in violent crime and the creation of a dangerous community for New Yorkers.”
In response, Bragg's office criticized Jordan's hearing as “political stunt” while noting that data released by the New York Police Department shows that crime in Manhattan was down in terms of homicides, burglaries, robberies, etc. through April 2 compared to the same period last year.
In fact, the hearings led by Jordan are aimed not at stopping crime, but at protecting Trump, who was recently indicted by a Manhattan grand jury 34 felonies. Trump has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges stemming from an investigation into paying hush money to an adult film actress. The former president also faces criminal investigations in other jurisdictions. due to attempts to overturn the 2020 elections And his work with secret documents at Mar-a-Lago.
Bragg sues Jordan and his committee last week in federal court, accusing the chairman of the Judiciary Committee of “transparent campaign of intimidation and attack» his office to investigate and prosecute Trump making demands for confidential documents and testimony.
Although Jordan and his committee seem to be focused on discrediting the investigation to Trump, why aren't they studying two recent sensational reports by a ProPublica writer who raised red flags about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's financial dealings with GOP megadonor Harlan Crow? Ultimately, the House Judiciary Committee website explains that it has jurisdiction over “matters relating to the administration of justice in the federal courts,” for which the Thomas revelations are ideally suited.
First, in early April, we learned that Crowe had been providing for Thomas and his wife Ginny for decades luxury holiday including on donor yacht and private jet to distant places such as Indonesia and New Zealand. This information was never released to the public. (In a rare public statement Thomas replied he was then informed that he did not need to report travel. The judge said the rules for reporting personal hospitality recently changed. “And of course I intend to follow this guidance in the future,” he said.)
Then on Thursday, ProPublica reported that Thomas failed to open a 2014 real estate deal involving the sale of three properties he and his family owned in Savannah, Georgia, to the same GOP megadonor Crow. One of Crow's companies made $133,363 in purchases, according to ProPublica. Federal Disclosure Law passed after Watergate required Supreme Court justices and other officials to make public details of most real estate sales valued at more than $1,000.
How ProPublica In detail, the federal disclosure form Thomas filed for that year included a space to indicate the identity of the buyer in any private transaction, but Thomas left that space blank. Four ethical law experts told ProPublica that Thomas' failure to report this appears to be a violation of the law. (Thomas did not respond to ProPublica's questions about the report; CNN has reached out to the Supreme Court and Thomas for comment.)
The House Judiciary Committee has long dealt with issues like those involving Thomas. In fact, the committee is the place where investigations and impeachment federal judges often begin.
One recent example occurred in 2010 with a judge J. Thomas Porteous Jr.whom the committee investigated and recommended for impeachment.
Judicial Impeachment Committee Working Group The evidence showed that Porteous “intentionally made material false statements and assertions under penalty of perjury, engaged in a corrupt kickback scheme, solicited and accepted illegal gifts, and intentionally misled the Senate during confirmation proceedings.” Senate later found Porteous guilty from four articles of impeachment and took him off the bench.
However, the Legal Committee has neither published statements neither tweets raising the alarm about Thomas. Instead, his Twitter feed is filled with duplicate tweets whining about it C-SPAN doesn't cover Field hearing in New York on Monday. Even worse, the committee retweeted the GOP. Rep. Mary Miller's tweet defending Thomas as being attacked “because he is a man of deep faith who loves our country and believes in our Constitution.”
Jordan's use of his committee to help Trump should surprise no one. A Jan. 6 House committee report called the Ohio Republican “important player in President Trump's efforts” to overturn the election. The report details the lawmaker's efforts to help Trump. including on “January 2, 2021, Representative Jordan led conference call in which he, President Trump and other members of Congress discussed strategies for postponing the January 6 joint session.” As a result, the committee subpoenaed Jordan to testify on January 6, but he refused cooperate.
Unlike the House panel, the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Democrats, announced following a report that Thomas plans to hold a hearing “on the need to restore confidence in the ethical standards of the Supreme Court.” Additionally, Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia I sent a letter on Friday and called for referring Thomas to the U.S. Attorney General regarding “potential violations of the Government Ethics Act of 1978.”
House Judiciary Committee website notes“The Committee on the Judiciary has been named House counsel.” Under Jordan, this description needs to be updated to indicate that the Committee on the Judiciary is now “Donald Trump's lawyer.” And the worst part is that it is taxpayers who are paying for Jordan's work on Trump's behalf.
