It’s good to be the traitorous spouse of an extremist Supreme Court justice. You can actively participate in an ongoing right-wing coup against the United States and completely escape accountability, just so powerful institutions can uphold civility and performative bipartisanship.
That’s my cynical conclusion after news reports revealed yet another example of Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the long-time GOP activist and wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, abusing her access and privilege to actively help MAGA seditionists.
On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported on emails that revealed Ginni Thomas pressured Republican lawmakers in the battleground state of Wisconsin to overturn the results of the 2020 election. In emails sent on November 9, she urged them to “please stand strong in the face of media and political pressure. Please reflect on the awesome authority granted to you by our Constitution. And then please take action to ensure that a clean slate of Electors is chosen for our state.”
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In June, The Post reported Thomas had sent nearly identical emails to 29 Arizona state lawmakers urging them to replace the state’s electors with loyal Republicans who would instead vote for Trump.
In December 2020, Thomas invited right-wing attorney John Eastman—author of the infamous "coup memo" advising Trump on how he could illegally remain in office—to speak at a grassroots activists meeting to discuss “state legislative actions that can reverse the media-called election for Joe Biden.” This dangerous theory, known as the “independent state legislature doctrine,” has been rejected by a federal judge as a “coup in search of a legal theory” and referred to as “constitutional mischief” by retired federal Judge J. Michael Luttig.
Thomas has been so ambitious and indefatigable in her efforts to subvert the will of the majority that she’s left a lengthy paper trail that leaves no doubt as to her perverse intentions and traitorous goals. In March, it was reported she sent at least 29 texts to Mark Meadows, Trump’s White House chief of staff, in the aftermath of the election and urged him to “help this great president stand firm” and resist the democratic transition of power. She also echoed the deranged conspiratorial talking points of QAnon, which the FBI now considers a domestic terror threat.
Her husband, Justice Thomas, just happened to be the sole dissenting vote in a ruling that ordered Trump to turn over his documents to the Jan. 6 Committee. In light of all these revelations, it’s now reasonable to conclude Justice Thomas knew the documents might expose his wife’s deep involvement in the coup attempt.
In another terrifying development, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the controversial Moore v. Harper case in its next term, which will test the legality of the “independent state legislature doctrine.” Conveniently, Justice Thomas has previously endorsed some version of this “constitutional mischief.”
Even though all of this information is shocking, none of this is new. We’ve known about Ginni Thomas’s dangerous influence for a while now.
In 2020, The New York Times reported Thomas was assisting Trump in “purging” his administration of officials who were not sufficiently loyal to their extremist agenda. Her top targets included officials at the National Security Council and White House aides who apparently needed to be replaced with loyal foot soldiers, like Ken Cuccinelli, who eventually became Trump’s Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. Cuccinelli repaid the favor by allegedly lying and downplaying the threat of white supremacist terrorism and Russia’s efforts to interfere in the election, according to a DHS whistleblower. Along with some members of the Secret Service, Cuccinelli also conveniently lost all of his texts from Jan. 6.
As I wrote in June, Democrats continue missing a golden opportunity to ring the alarm bells when it comes to publicly castigating this dangerous, conservative version of Bonnie and Clyde. One of them works the Constitution and the other works the dark money and lobbying efforts. The Democrats have a damning story to tell about Ginni and Clarence Thomas, but it’s up to them to tell it and flex their power in the House to hold them accountable before the midterm election.
After the Dobbs ruling, momentum, rage, and the majority are on the Democrats' side. The Supreme Court currently holds a record low approval rating after it gutted abortion rights. The Jan. 6 hearings have been a success, both in terms of ratings and revealing bombshells that show the extent of the right-wing ecosystem’s role in inciting and supporting the violent insurrection. On Thursday, the Jan. 6 committee sent a letter to Newt Gingrich seeking his voluntary cooperation to discuss his role in promoting the big lie.
The committee needs to stop “contemplating a subpoena”—as it has since July—and actually subpoena Ginni Thomas. The House committee has already exhausted its civility and kindness after asking her to sit for a voluntary interview and submit documents, to which she initially replied, “I can’t wait to clear up misconceptions. I look forward to talking to them.” That was in mid-June. Two weeks later, she abruptly changed her mind. It’s clear that she’s stalling.
The Justice Department, however, has no excuse to sit idly by, hoping for good faith overtures from bad faith actors like Thomas. Prosecutors have already charged leaders and members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys with seditious conspiracy for their roles in participating in the violent insurrection. They also just received a 10-year prison sentence for Thomas Webster, an ex-NYPD veteran who was convicted of assaulting a police officer on January 6.
All of this begs the question: Why does Ginni Thomas get off scot-free for assisting a coup?
We have her latest public emails and existing texts that reveal her active complicity. In the absence of any investigation or attempt at public accountability, the DOJ is telling Americans that no one is above the law—except, of course, powerful, wealthy Republicans.
Thankfully, with the emergence of “Dark Brandon,” President Joe Biden is at last giving Democrats permission to hit back. In last night’s speech on the “soul of America,” Biden named Trump and MAGA as threats to equality, democracy, and the Constitution. He was describing Ginni Thomas.
This is no time for performative civility and good manners, especially when they aren’t reciprocated by a radicalized and weaponized minority that demonizes the majority as Satan-worshiping pedophiles. When Democrats and Biden use their power to hold MAGA extremists to account, they are rewarded with a bump in poll numbers and upset wins in elections, as seen this week with Mary Peltola’s victory over Sarah Palin in Alaska’s special election for its sole House seat.
According to an August NBC News poll, “threats to democracy” now ranks as the number one issue for American voters, ahead of the cost of living and the economy. It’s a perfect time and moment for Democrats and the DOJ to prove they’re listening to the people and using their power to protect democracy by investigating the ongoing threat that is Ginni Thomas.
