GOP Megadonor Who Gifted Luxury Trips to Clarence Thomas Keeps Reported Collection of Nazi Artifacts, Statues of Dictators
(AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
As Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas remains under scrutiny for his non-disclosure of luxurious perks he accepted from Harlan Crow, the Texas Republican megadonor has come under the public microscope as well. Not the least reason for Crow’s scrutiny is his reported collection of Nazi and autocratic memorabilia.
The Washingtonian reported that Crow’s house in Dallas is where he keeps various relics and artworks that came from historic regimes. In his Nazi collection, Crow’s trove includes two cityscape paintings done by Adolf Hitler, a signed copy of Mein Kampf, and other items that were shown in photographs.
From the article:
“I still can’t get over the collection of Nazi memorabilia,” says one person who attended an event at Crow’s home a few years ago and asked to remain anonymous. “It would have been helpful to have someone explain the significance of all the items. Without that context, you sort of just gasp when you walk into the room.” One memorable aspect was the paintings: “something done by George W. Bush next to a Norman Rockwell next to one by Hitler.”
Crow’s taste in historical artworks has been the subject of past news coverage, so the Washingtonian backed up their report by referring to a Dallas Morning News article about it from 2014. While the article acknowledged that Crow kept artifacts pertaining to historic figures like George Washington, Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower, he also happens to have a sculpture garden that features the likes of Joseph Stalin, Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, and Yugoslav dictator Josip Broz Tito.
The Washingtonian notes that Crow struggled in the past when talking about this “Garden of Evil,” but he explained that he keeps this sculpture collection as a “historical nod to the facts of man’s inhumanity to man.” Crow also expressed a hatred of Communism and said the statues were preserved to prevent their outright destruction when the regimes of these dictators came to an end.
The focus on Crow comes while ethical concerns and influence peddling remain at the center of questions of his relationship with Justice Thomas and his wife, Ginni. Thomas has defended himself by claiming he was advised that he didn’t have to disclose the vacations that he took on Crow’s dime.
