DALLAS — Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A ProPublica report published claiming Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has accepted secret luxury trips from Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow grabbed attention Thursday morning.
And after its publishing, Thomas was the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter.
ProPublica's investigation reported numerous claims, including Thomas has vacationed on Crow’s 162-foot superyacht, flown on the real estate developer’s private jet and spent time at the GOP donor’s private resort and other exclusive retreats, citing documents and dozens of interviews.
In a statement to ProPublica, Crow acknowledged that he’d extended “hospitality” to the Thomases “over the years,” but said that Thomas never asked for any of it and it was “no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dear friends.”
Thomas did not respond to ProPublica's list of questions, the outlet reported. A Supreme Court spokeswoman acknowledged an email from the Associated Press seeking comment from Thomas but did not provide any additional information. Thomas later said on Friday he was not required to disclose the many trips he and his wife took that were paid for by Harlan Crow. Read more from Thomas' statement here.
Last year, questions about Thomas' ethics arose when it was disclosed that he did not step away from election cases following the 2020 election despite the fact that his wife, conservative activist Virginia Thomas, reached out to lawmakers and the White House to urge defiance of the election results.
If you'd like to read the full ProPublica report, click here.
While Thomas is in the national public eye in his position on the Supreme Court, those outside of Dallas might not know much about the man headlined as "the billionaire" on the ProPublica report.
Who is Harlan Crow?
Crow, a Dallas resident, is the Chairman of the Board of Crow Holdings, a private family business established to manage the capital of the Trammell Crow family, according to the firm's website.
Trammell Crow is Harlan Crow's father, who became one of America's largest real estate developers and landlords. Trammel Crow passed away in 2009. D Magazine reported in 2008 about how Harlan Crow almost single-handedly saved the family from financial disaster following the 1980s real-estate crash.
Where does Harlan Crow live?
In 2018, Crow's Dallas-based mansion was listed as the most-expensive home in Texas at then-valued $55.1 million. Among the amenities of his home include a 77-space underground garage, according to the Associated Press. The mansion is located in the Highland Park, next door to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Crow's estate also includes the Harlan Crow Library – which occupies its own wing at the mansion – featuring a collection of 14,000 rare books and artifacts focusing on the history of the United States. Artifacts from the Harlan Crow Library have been donated in the past to an exhibit at the Bullock Museum.
Also included on Crow's estate grounds: Statues of fallen despot leaders, including Stalin and Mao. The New York Times' in 2003 profiled Crow's collection of the statues, which he reportedly acquired through a man named Tie Sosnowski.
"Many of the statues, some as tall as 20 feet, were bought from the sculptors or from public officials as regimes crumbled," the newspaper wrote. "A few, like the large bust of Princip, were acquired as bullets whizzed by."
How is Crow involved in Dallas?
Crow is a director on several boards including the American Enterprise Institute, the George W. Bush Foundation Board, the Southwestern Medical Foundation, the Supreme Court Historical Society Board, the Antiquarian Society, and the Hoover Institution, according to his firm bio.
Wick Allison, who bought out D Magazine from Harlan Crow and died in 2020, once wrote in his publication in 2009 about the Harlan Crow "he knew." Allison called Harlan Crow "a man of integrity and sincere devotion to this city."
Crow graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1974. The third son of Margaret and Trammell Crow, Harlan Crow began at the firm as an industrial leasing agent in Houston in 1974 after graduating, later assuming overall responsibilities for the business in 1988.
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