By Mark Sumner for Daily Kos
Daily Kos Staff
On Sunday’s edition of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight,” host John Oliver made a direct offer to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. After showcasing a new, luxury RV valued at $2.4 million, Oliver offered to give the RV to Thomas, along with $1 million a year in cash, if the justice would sign a contract promising “to get the fuck off the Supreme Court.”
He isn’t the first to think of such an offer. Former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, who is awaiting sentencing on seven criminal counts, reportedly attempted to negotiate with representatives for Donald Trump over how much money it would take to keep Trump from running again in 2024. They reportedly settled on $5 billion, and Bankman-Fried was reportedly willing to pay, but he got arrested before he could cut the check.
Both of these offers seem like they should be illegal. Because they should be illegal. But they’re just the flip side of what’s already happening—wealthy patrons buying figureheads who will do exactly what they want in office.
Thanks to the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United v. FEC decision and other egregious decisions on campaign financing, political candidates are absolutely awash in funds from those with business before the government. Dark-money groups, billionaire donors, and massive super PACS have the kind of leverage over candidates that makes the idea of buying a vote seem old hat. Now they buy candidates by the dozen, with the knowledge that in a system where running for Senate can top a quarter of a billion dollars, their favor is necessary for most candidates to remain competitive.
In the Supreme Court, there are essentially no rules other than don’t get impeached—despite a recently announced but utterly toothless code of conduct. Conservative super-patron Harlan Crow has showered gifts on Thomas. That includes globe-spanning superyacht cruises, more pricey vacations and retreats, school tuition for one of Thomas’ relatives, and a house where Thomas’ mother lives. In return, Crow has gotten reliable rulings from Thomas that have more than paid him back.
Besides, this is all peanuts for Crow. Forbes estimates his and his brothers’ net worth around $2.5 billion. That’s nearly 13,000 times the median net worth of American families. Picking up the tab on a quarter-million-dollar gift means about as much to Crow as it would for most people to give a waiter a $20 tip. And Crow is a piker compared to the wealth of the folks at the top of Forbes’ list.
From state legislatures to the Supreme Court, politicians can be rewarded with essentially anything to run for office, and even more is available to reward them for votes once they are elected. This is exactly what opponents of Citizens United and advocates for campaign finance reform have warned about for decades.
The issues always existed, but it’s grown massively worse since former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell demonstrated that a government based on tradition and respect for the nation was like a house built on sand. Any jackass could smash it. All it took was a total lack of decency.
Paying Thomas to step down may seem like a ridiculous step. But he’s already being paid handsomely to stay. Providing a counteroffer may be the simplest solution—and even if it’s not successful, it does highlight the flaws in a deeply broken system.
If $5 billion would actually keep Trump from running, the money could probably be raised in an afternoon. Unfortunately, at this point, Trump seems more interested in smiting his seemingly endless enemies and protecting himself from the consequences of his crimes. Which are also endless. Besides, even if he made the deal, he’d just take the money and run (for office) anyway.
This should all be clearly illegal, but in the meantime … Dear Clarence, that motorhome looks really sweet. Take it. Please take it.
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