Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said in an interview Monday that conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should recuse himself from judging former President Donald Trump’s appeal of a decision in Colorado to deny him access to the state’s 2024 ballot on the premise that he participated in an insurrection against the government on Jan. 6, 2021.
When asked why she thinks Thomas should recuse himself by CNN host Anderson Cooper, Ocasio-Cortez said, “It’s very clear. Clarence Thomas and rather his wife, Ginni participated in the events of Jan. 6, and now what is likely going before the Supreme Court is a judgment as to whether an event that his wife participated in [ … ] qualifies as an insurrection.”
AOC Demands Justice Clarence Thomas Recuse Himself From Colorado Ballot Case, Citing ‘Wife’s Conduct’ https://t.co/ot5rZaYbfk #OAN
— One America News (@OANN) January 10, 2024
“Clarence Thomas’ decision on that one way or another and overall the court’s decision on that one way or another would directly implicate his wife, and so this is just one of the most classic textbook conflicts of interest and it would frankly be a scandal if he did not recuse himself,” said Ocasio-Cortez.
Ginni Thomas testified for three hours in Sept. 2022 before the House Oversight Committee regarding her alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill protest that turned unruly after Capitol Police opened the doors and ushered protestors into the building. Committee members did not all agree that Mrs. Thomas was instrumental in election interference efforts.
AOC, spreading more outrageous lies: "Clarence Thomas and, rather, his wife, Ginni, participated in the events of January 6th … it would frankly be a scandal if he did not recuse himself" pic.twitter.com/yScNIEABhl
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 9, 2024
Earlier this month Ocasio-Cortez signed a letter from House Democrats to Justice Thomas urging him to recuse himself from the case — along with Reps. Hank Johnson (D-GA), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), Gerald Connolly (D-VA), Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) and Dan Goldman (D-NY).
“Your wife was one of nine board members for a conservative political group that helped lead the ‘Stop the Steal’ movement, a movement which culminated in the January 6 attack that the Colorado Supreme Court deemed an insurrection,” stated the Democrat lawmakers.
“It is unthinkable that you could be impartial in deciding whether an event your wife personally organized qualifies as an ‘insurrection’ that would prevent someone from holding the office of President,” they concluded.
