Sen. Wyden Calls on Clarence Thomas to Recuse Himself from Jan. 6-Related Cases: His Conduct ‘Looks Increasingly Corrupt’

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Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) said on Friday that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should recuse himself from any cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol or the 2024 election, should former President Donald Trump choose to run again.

Wyden’s comments came amid heightened scrutiny of Thomas’ wife, Ginni Thomas, due to reports that she texted then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to encourage efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Ginni Thomas previously acknowledged she attended the Jan. 6 rally, but left before Trump took the stage.

According to a report from The Hill, Wyden said Thomas’s “conduct on the Supreme Court looks increasingly corrupt.”

When the Supreme Court blocked Trump’s request in January to prevent the release of some presidential records to the House Select Committee investigating Jan. 6, Thomas was the sole dissenter.

“At the bare minimum, Justice Thomas needs to recuse himself from any case related to the January 6th investigation, and should Donald Trump run again, any case related to the 2024 election,” Wyden added.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said on Friday that it is up to Thomas to decide when and if he should recuse himself.

“I think Justice Thomas could make his decisions like he’s made them every other time. It’s his decision based upon law,” McCarthy said at a press conference.

“If you spent any time studying the Supreme Court justice, he’s one who studies correctly and I mean, from all the way through,” he added. “If he sees it’s not upholding the Constitution, he’ll rule against it. That’s what his job should be. It’s him.”