Media pounce on Clarence Thomas
Fox News contributors Ben Domenech and Leslie Marshall discuss media coverage of ethical concerns over Justice Clarence Thomas financial dealings and react after prosecutors dropped charges in Alec Baldwins Rust shooting.
Left-wing protesters have returned to conservative Supreme Court justices' homes as Democrats target Justice Clarence Thomas over alleged ethical issues.
The activists descended upon Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice John Roberts' neighborhood Friday. The protesters appeared to be outside of Kavanaugh's private residence in a short video clip posted to Twitter.
"One, two, three, four: We want ethics on the court," the protesters chant in the video, which then chops between a few moments. Armed security detail appears in the video.
"This is a criminal threat to the safety of Supreme Court justices," Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee tweeted in reaction to the video. "Why are U.S. Marshals being instructed not to make arrests?"
U.S. Marshals received instructions to "avoid" apprehending protesters outside of Justices' homes following the leaked Dobbs decision last May despite the actions "clearly violating federal law."
Republican Alaska Sen. Katie Britt exposed the U.S. Marshals Service training protocol in March, which showed that guards had to refrain from arresting protesters at Kavanaugh's home.
The Marshals at his residence reportedly had to "avoid, unless absolutely necessary, criminal enforcement action involving the protest or protesters, particularly on public space."
REPORT ON CLARENCE THOMAS' TRAVEL HABITS IS 'POLITICS PLAIN AND SIMPLE': EXPERT
Democrats have attacked Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas over his ties to GOP mega-donor Harlan Crow. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The discovery has since snowballed into an investigation as Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan recently opened a probe into the matter.
"It's actually a crime to protest in front of a judge's home with the intent to change a decision, to impact a pending matter in front of the court. And obviously, that's what they were doing after the leak came out," Jordan said, referring to the demonstrations after the leaked Dobbs decision.
"The training materials provided to the U.S. Marshals strongly suggest that the Biden Administration is continuing to weaponize federal law enforcement agencies for partisan purposes," Jordan wrote in a letter to U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald L. Davis, which was first obtained by The Hill, after Britt's discovery.
The activists' current protest follows Democratic lawmakers targeting Justice Clarence Thomas over ethical issues. The criticisms stemmed from a ProPublica report showing he had received gifts from Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow and did not report them. Thomas' defenders say he has complied with the court's reporting guidelines.
Democratic Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse went as far as to call for a Justice Department investigation into the matter.
DEMOCRATS PRESS SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE TO INVESTIGATE CLARENCE THOMAS' TRIPS WITH GOP MEGADONOR
CHEVY CHASE, MD - Protesters march past Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaughs home on June 8, 2022 in Chevy Chase, Maryland. An armed man was arrested near Kavanaughs home. (Nathan Howard)
Thomas, however, has had defenders, including former liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.
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"As far as I'm concerned, I sat next to him on the bench for 28 years. I like him. He's a friend of mine. I've never seen him do anything underhanded or say anything underhanded," Breyer said, according to Bloomberg Law.
Fox News Digital's Aubrie Spady contributed reporting.
