As previously reported, Republican vice chair of the House January 6 committee Liz Cheney went to great lengths to protect conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, political activist Ginni Thomas, by preventing a thorough investigation into Ginni’s involvement in Donald Trump’s attempts to rewrite the 2020 election results.
In his book Stench: The Making of the Thomas Court and the Unmaking of America, Democratic operative and reporter David Brock claims that “two Capitol Hill sources with personal knowledge” have revealed a “dramatic truth, which might shock even some jaded Washington veterans not easily surprised by callow examples of power protecting power.”
Liz Cheney, a well-known witness in the proceedings, displayed her Republican independence by working behind the scenes to defend Ginni and Clarence Thomas while attempting to prevent the investigation into the implications of Ginni Thomas’ texts to Trump’s former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows.
Thomas and Meadows exchanged a significant quantity of correspondence regarding efforts to challenge the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s election victory. The data, which indicate that Thomas spoke with her spouse, were made available to CNN in April 2022, in accordance with the January 6 committee’s ongoing procedures.
The leak sparked widespread outrage, causing conservative think tanker Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute to dub it “a scandal of immense proportions.” “The wife of a supreme court justice is a radical insurrectionist [but] her husband has refused to recuse himself from any of the cases in which she has been deeply and actively involved,” Ornstein stated in her research of the texts.
In his book, Brock contends that Clarence Thomas has had a significant impact on a far-right court that is noticeably out of line with popular opinion since his contentious confirmation in 1991. Brock agrees with other Democrats, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who believe Thomas should be impeached and removed from office.
Brock’s well-organised case contains eight unique allegations against Thomas, including his claimed sexual harassment of Anita Hill, lying during confirmation hearings, refusal to recuse himself from cases involving his spouse, and attempted sabotage of Trump’s election. In this sense, a case involving the revelation of information connected to January 6th was notable, as Thomas was the only justice who defended the records’ continued confidentiality.
According to Brock, the January 6 committee only asked for an informational interview with Ginni Thomas outside of an oath, and neither she nor her husband were served with a subpoena. They also did not seek public testimony.
Brock also mentions that Denver Riggleman, a Republican congressman who joined the committee’s staff on January 6 and departed during the text message leak, authored a book about the episode in which he claimed the “entire committee” attempted to obstruct a comprehensive inquiry into Ginni Thomas. However, Brock’s charge that Cheney attempted to conceal the Thomases might have major consequences, especially given the former congresswoman from Wyoming’s recent endorsement of Kamala Harris, Trump’s Democratic opponent in this year’s presidential election.
According to Brock, Cheney’s determination to keep the Thomases safe aligns with her own interests, particularly in light of a potential presidential run. Brock views Liz Cheney’s attempts as a “naked power move” linked to “raw political math,” taking into consideration the Thomases’ long-standing ties with Cheney’s parents.
After three ardent conservatives were appointed during Trump’s presidency, Brock writes that “no Republican candidate could withstand opposition to the rightwing court-packing initiative,” referring to Clarence Thomas’ position as the most senior conservative on a court that is 6-3 in favour of conservatives.
Cheney decided not to run for president. But, as Brock points out, Ginni Thomas was able to evade a thorough inquiry by the January 6 committee. There is no mention of her name in the 845-page research. The committee released a copy of Thomas’s interview, in which she apologised for texting Meadows and stated, “You know, it was an emotional time.” I am sorry that these texts are available.
Cheney’s book, Oath and Honour, was released the year prior. The leak of the Meadows texts is covered in one section of the memo, which Cheney calls “unethical and counterproductive for our investigation.”
Using a false email address, an anonymous staff member announced a bold plan to subpoena Justice Thomas’ entire correspondence in all media formats.
Cheney claims, “This may represent a significant error.” “It turned out that our cautious approach was fortunate.”
Although Cheney claims to have known Ginni Thomas for “decades,” she is suspicious of the notion that Thomas was the “mastermind” of the scheme to prevent Trump’s victory. After reading Thomas’s stinging public statements regarding her involvement with the January 6 committee, Cheney brushed off leftist media and social media claims of Ginni’s favouritism. “In my opinion, Ginni should have been handled similarly to any other witness who had engaged in similar activities,” according to her.
“Liz continues to be significantly concerned about Ginni Thomas’s evident disregard for the decisions made by our courts,” a source close to Cheney said in response to Brock’s story.
As a conservative media journalist, Brock originally rose to prominence for his work on The Real Anita Hill, a detailed analysis of Clarence Thomas’ claims. His other works include Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative, in which he discusses his political transformation, which included creating political action committees and advising Hillary Clinton.
During an interview with the Guardian about his upcoming book, which will be released in the United States on Tuesday, Brock acknowledged Cheney’s decision to reject Trump and the ramifications that followed.
He clarified: “Liz Cheney is definitely a significant figure for a variety of reasons.” “However, it seems that in this particular case, her political affiliations and familial ties may have influenced her decision-making.”
“It was evident that the committee wanted to move the Ginni investigation forward.” It appears that she may have received a subpena. It was conceivable to subpen Clarence Thomas. However, they opted against that line of action, owing primarily to Liz Cheney’s efforts to shield the Thomases from investigation.