NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday called for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to resign or face impeachment amid the fallout of his wife's support of former President Donald Trump's fight to overturn the 2020 election.
"Clarence Thomas should resign,'" she said on Twitter. "If not, his failure to disclose income from right-wing organizations, recuse himself from matters involving his wife, and his vote to block the Jan. 6th commission from key information must be investigated and could serve as grounds for impeachment."
Ocasio-Cortez is one of several House progressives who now support Thomas' impeachment or resignation, including fellow New York Rep. Mondaire Jones.
Thomas faces renewed accusations of conflict of interest after revelations that his wife repeatedly urged aides to Trump to resist the results of the November 2020 presidential election.
A series of text messages between Virginia Thomas - known as Ginni - and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows show her lobbying Meadows to fight the election results and offering strategic advice on how best to overturn President Joe Biden's victory.
The text exchanges, first reported by The Washington Post and CBS, highlight Thomas' deep access to the Trump inner circle and her personal involvement in a divisive and destructive fight that many Trump supporters hoped would eventually end up in front of her husband on the Supreme Court.
Her alleged backing of the illegal effort has also sparked calls for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from all cases relating to the Jan. 6 riot.
Senate and House Democrats sent a letter on Monday to Chief Justice John Roberts and Thomas about the "alarming new reports about Justice Thomas's potential conflicts of interest" and for the "urgent need for significant ethics reform at the Supreme Court."
"Federal law clearly states the standards for a judge's recusal from a case. Under 28 U.S.C. § 455, any judge--including a Supreme Court Justice--must disqualify himself from 'any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned,'" the letter read. "And any judge must do the same when he knows that his spouse has 'any... interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding.' Ignorance or willful blindness is simply no excuse."
Unlike judges on lower federal courts, Supreme Court justices are not bound by a code of conduct and can decide whether or not to recuse themselves.
Ginni Thomas told the Washington Free Beacon earlier this month that the couple is able to have "our own separate careers, as well as our own ideas and opinions."
"Like so many married couples, we share many of the same ideals, principles, and aspirations for America," Thomas said. "But we have our own separate careers, and our own ideas and opinions too. Clarence doesn’t discuss his work with me, and I don’t involve him in my work."
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.