ProPublica: Clarence Thomas attended Koch network donor events

Justice Clarence Thomas attended a private dinner in 2018 during a winter donor summit of the Koch network, the political organization founded by libertarian billionaires Charles and David Koch, ProPublica reported Friday.

Thomas attended Koch donor events at least twice over the years, according to interviews with three former Koch network employees and one major donor conducted by ProPublica. Staffers told the outlet that the justice was brought in with the hope that “such access would encourage donors to continue giving.”

The report, the latest in a series by ProPublica that has revealed close relationships between Thomas and conservative interests, is likely to again stir questions about Thomas’ ethics, especially given the Koch network’s occasional support for litigation before the Supreme Court.

Thomas arrived for the 2018 dinner on a Gulfstream G200 jet, although a Koch network spokesperson told the outlet that the network did not pay for the private jet and it was not disclosed on his financial disclosure forms for that year.

A spokesperson for the Koch network told ProPublica that Thomas wasn’t present for fundraising conversations. In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson said, “The idea that attending a couple events to promote a book or give dinner remarks, as all the justices do, could somehow be undue influence just doesn’t hold water.”

Thomas did not respond to a request for comment to ProPublica. CNN has reached out to the Supreme Court for comment.

The story will raise new questions that have been dogging the Supreme Court for months as critics, including Democrats in Congress, argue that justices need a code of conduct that specifically applies to the high court. The justices voluntarily follow ethics regulations written for lower court judges.

In addition, it comes as the justices are poised to hear a…