Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, had more than just Mark Meadows as a texting buddy in the effort to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election.
She was also communicating with none other than Connie Hair, chief of staff to Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), who signed on to two failed legal efforts to challenge the results — one of which could have ended up before her husband and the U.S.Supreme Court, CNN reports.
Ginni Thomas’ newly reported exchanges with Hair are amplifying calls for Justice Thomas to recuse himself from any election- or insurrection-related matters that might come before the court.
Stephen Gillers of NYU School of Law, is one of those calling a Thomas recusal. “Mrs. Thomas has a First Amendment right to speak publicly and forcefully on issues that might come before the Supreme Court without thereby forcing recusal of her husband,” Gillers told CNN. “But in the current situation, her interests are caught up in cases that could come before the court.”
Ginni Thomas reportedly has a years-long friendship with Hair, including attending social outings with her at which Clarence Thomas was present. Their text exchanges, which Ginni Thomas shared with Meadows, demonstrate the ardor with which she was working to subvert the voting will of the American people and promote discredited theories of massive fraud.
“Was on a call with the Trump campaign manager and legal folks for a briefing this morning. WE ARE SEEING THIS THROUGH TO THE END OF THE COURT/COUNT BATTLE,” Hair posted on Nov. 7, four days after the election. And on Nov. 21, Hair posted: “Massive amounts of voter fraud in big cities throughout the contested states.”
The Supreme Court ultimately decided not to take up Gohmert’s lawsuit against then-vice president Mike Pence or a Texas case the lawmaker supported against states Trump lost.