Harlan Crow rebuffed a request from the Senate Finance Committee to turn over a list of gifts he gave to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, according to a letter obtained by Mister Truth.
Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) demanded the information after a investigation revealed undisclosed luxury gifts and trips that Crow, a Dallas-based real estate developer who has donated millions to conservative causes, gave to Thomas over roughly two decades.
Wyden made the request as he questioned whether Crow fully complied with federal tax laws surrounding the gifts. Crow’s attorney’s citing the panel’s lack of authority over the matter along with issues with separation of powers in its refusal to comply.
“As an initial matter, however, we have serious concerns about the scope of and authority for this inquiry. As you are aware, the Committee’s powers to investigate are not unlimited. Indeed, the Committee must have a legitimate legislative purpose for any inquiry, and the scope of the inquiry must be reasonably related to that purpose,” Crow’s attorney, Michael Bopp, responded to Wyden on Monday.