Senate Democrats Announce Vote To Authorize Subpoena for Alito and Thomas Allies

Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., announced on Monday they are seeking to subpoena allies of Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito as part of a larger court ethics probe.

"The Supreme Court is in an ethical crisis of its own making," the two Democrats wrote in a statement.

The Democratic lawmakers are seeking to subpoena Harlan Crow, who has been accused of paying for trips for Thomas, Robin Arkley, who hosted Alito on a 2008 Alaska fishing trip, and Leonard Leo, a conservative judicial activist, amid ethics concerns about the Supreme Court.

"The chief justice could fix this problem today and adopt a binding code of conduct.  As long as he refuses to act, the Judiciary Committee will," Durbin and Whitehouse wrote.

Both lawmakers are part of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a vote on their subpoenas is expected as soon as next week.

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., who also serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, quickly threw his support behind Durbin and Whitehouse.

"Count me in," he wrote on X in response to the announcement.

A ProPublica investigation published in May detailed Thomas' and Crow's alleged close relationship, revealing the judge had accepted travel gifts and other financial support from Crow, as well as the close relationships and undisclosed gifts between influential donors and judges.

Alito previously penned a Wall Street op-ed claiming Congress does not have the authority to regulate the Supreme Court, earning backlash from Democrats, including Whitehouse.

"By accepting these lavish, undisclosed gifts, the justices have enabled their wealthy benefactors and other individuals with business before the Court to gain private access to the justices while preventing public scrutiny of this conduct," Durbin and Whitehouse wrote in their Monday statement.

Crow's office released a statement in response to Durbin and Whitehouse, calling their action "politically motivated."

"It's disappointing that one party on the Committee would choose to pursue an unnecessary, partisan, and politically motivated subpoena instead of simply reciprocating Mr. Crow's good faith efforts at a reasonable compromise that respects both sides... It's clear this is nothing more than a stunt aimed at undermining a sitting Supreme Court Justice for ideological and political purposes. Mr. Crow, a private citizen, won’t be bullied by threats from politicians," the statement reads. "However, as previously conveyed to the Committee, we remain committed to respectful cooperation and a fair resolution."