Comedian John Oliver is making headlines this week after publicly offering Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas $1 million a year and a $2.4 million motor coach if he agrees to resign from the nation’s highest Court.
Thomas has repeatedly rejected calls for him to step down from the position after a report published in April by ProPublica exposed the Conservative justice’s murky dealings with prominent Republican wealthy donor, Harlan Crow. According to the investigation, Thomas and his wife accepted luxury trips and gifts from Crow for decades.’
Crow became close friends with him and Thomas’ wife, Ginni Thomas. In 2011, the New York Times reported that the real estate magnate helped finance a museum dedicated to the history of Thomas’ hometown, Pin Point, Georgia. Thomas has rejected increasing calls for him to resign. He denies any intentional wrongdoing, but the Democrats call the “unprecedented” level of “hypocrisy,” one which cannot be swept under the carpet.
John Oliver offered Clarence Thomas a $1M a year salary (plus a luxury RV worth $2.4M) to resign from the Supreme Court. Brilliant.
— Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) February 20, 2024
Credit: HBO pic.twitter.com/H8sPMacEtl
Still, Oliver, host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, made a last-ditch appeal to Thomas to abandon his position.
“Clarence Thomas is arguably the most consequential justice on the Court right now and he’s never really seemed to like the job. He said, ‘It’s not worth doing for the grief.’ So what if he can keep the luxury perks he clearly enjoys without having to endure all of that grief,” Oliver said.
Oliver’s offer includes “one million dollars a year for the rest of your life if you simply agree to leave the Supreme Court immediately and never come back.”
Oliver clarified that should Thomas accept, he would fund the offer personally.
“HBO is not putting up the money for this. I am personally on the hook. You can make me really regret this. I could be doing standup tours to pay for your retirement for years,” he said, adding that Thomas has “exactly 30 days from midnight tonight to make your resignation effective” before the offer expires.
Thomas is yet to accept or decline the offer.
