The Republican Party is pushing back against the Democratic Party’s demand that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify on alleged ethical violations of Justice Clarence Thomas.
BREAKING: Conservative Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts has just been asked to testify before the Senate regarding 'ethics rules' for justices following the recent Clarence Thomas news. Details:
– Roberts has the option to designate another Justice to testify at the May 2… pic.twitter.com/BP4pIXjpM4
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) April 20, 2023
The GOP is standing behind the nation’s top legal official in his decision not to honor the Democratic Party’s request, citing the need to protect the separation of powers.
In a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D) on Tuesday, Chief Justice Roberts said he would not testify before the committee, citing an infrequent tradition of Supreme Court justices testifying before Congress.
According to Library of Congress records, Chief Justice Taft and Chief Justice Hughes are the only two justices to ever testify before Congress, other than for nominations and appropriations. Roberts also noted that his predecessor, Chief Justice William Rehnquist, testified before House committees on two occasions.
The Republican Party is in agreement with Roberts’ decision not to appear before the committee, claiming it would be a violation of the separation of powers.
“It is the Republican Party’s belief that the Chief Justice should not be subjected to the political process,” said Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus. “The Supreme Court should remain independent of the partisan political process.”
The GOP is also pushing back against the allegations of impropriety against Justice Thomas, claiming they are baseless.
“The Republican Party stands behind Justice Thomas and believes the allegations against him are without merit,” said Priebus.
The GOP also claims that there is already an ethical code in place for Supreme Court justices and that Roberts has included a copy of that code in his response to Durbin.
“The Republican Party does not believe that additional reforms are necessary,” said Priebus. “We believe that Chief Justice Roberts’ decision to not testify before the committee should be respected and that the current ethical system should remain in place.”
JUST IN: Chief Justice John Roberts has issued a letter to Democrats rejecting their bid to involve him in the unjust political witch-hunt of Justice Clarence Thomas.
The woke mob won’t like this one bit 😂https://t.co/PBla0BAEIA
— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) April 26, 2023
