Clarence Thomas, who has faced scrutiny over his ethics, discusses people who 'bomb your reputation'
Chip Somodevilla, Mark Wilson/Getty Images
- Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas spoke at a judicial conference in Alabama on Friday.
- Thomas told US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle he and his wife have endured "lies."
- His wife, Ginni Thomas, faced scrutiny for her belief that the 2020 election was stolen.
Clarence Thomas made it clear on Friday that he's not been happy with some of the conversations about him over the past few years.
During the 11th Circuit Judicial Conference in Point Clear, Alabama, Thomas expressed dismay at critics of him and his wife, though the Supreme Court Justice kept vague about what criticisms he was referring to, the Associated Press reported.
Per the AP, Thomas was asked about "working in a world that seems meanspirited" by US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle — a Donald Trump appointee who moderated the conversation.
"I think there's challenges to that," Thomas said, per the AP. "We're in a world and we — certainly my wife and I the last two or three years it's been — just the nastiness and the lies, it's just incredible."
Thomas has been criticized for failing to disclose luxury trips and donations from his billionaire friend Harlan Crow. The subsequent uproar resulted in Thomas updating financial disclosures to indicate his ties to the conservative donor.
In light of the controversy, the Supreme Court adopted a code of conduct that advises justices to recuse themselves from cases where they may have a conflict of interest— though it was criticized as toothless for its lack of an enforcement mechanism.
His wife, Ginni Thomas' previous assertions that the 2020 election was stolen and her presence at the rally before the January 6 Capitol riot are also a constant source of criticism for the Supreme Court justice.
Thomas has heard some cases regarding the capitol riot regardless, including Trump's presidential immunity case.
In his Friday remarks, Thomas also described Washington as a place where "reckless" people will "bomb your reputation or your good name or your honor" and said that he preferred "RVing" to being in the US capital, per the AP.
Notably, Thomas' RV, which he uses to travel around the country, became controversial when The New York Times reported that he purchased the luxury vehicle with a loan from a former UnitedHealthcare executive and did not disclose it. The Senate Finance Committee later revealed that Thomas never paid the loan back.
"I think what you are going to find and especially in Washington, people pride themselves on being awful. It is a hideous place as far as I'm concerned," Thomas told his Friday audience, per the AP.
Representatives for Thomas and the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a request for comment.