Dem Rep’s Attempted ‘Gotcha’ Questions on Clarence Thomas Backfire Spectacularly After Merrick Garland Fails to Answer

Democratic Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson’s attempt to ask “gotcha” questions about ⚖️Supreme Court Justice ⚖️Clarence Thomas’ alleged ethics violations during Attorney General 👤Merrick Garland’s Wednesday testimony before the House Judiciary Committee hearing didn’t quite go as intended.

Johnson, referencing Garland’s time on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, asked if he ever had the opportunity to travel on a billionaire-funded private jet to an “exotic location” — a not-so-veiled reference to expense-paid trips Thomas took with long-time friend and billionaire real estate developer Harlan Crow. When Johnson continued pressing beyond Garland’s initial “no,” Garland said he wasn’t interested in answering these kinds of questions.

“I know these are not hypothetical questions, and I think this is really not within my realm,” Garland said.

“You were a judge extraordinaire, and you know the rules of ethics for judges because your bench was covered by a code of conduct, is that not correct?” Johnson said.