STRINGING ALONG

Clarence Thomas’ Pal Harlan Crow Pisses Off Senate Dems Even More

He has agreed to meet with lawmakers but “brazenly and incorrectly” believes he’s free from any oversight, a Senate Judiciary Committee aide said.

Harlan Crow, the billionaire donor who treated Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to lavish vacations and generous gifts, has agreed to meet with Senate Dems investigating possible ethics violations—but he still “brazenly” thinks he can’t be investigated, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) fumed Tuesday. Crow’s lawyer Michael D. Bopp sent a letter Monday to the committee saying that Crow is happy to meet up but “concerns” remain about the Senate’s authority to investigate the matter. That enraged Durbin and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who warned Crow that he “doesn’t call the shots here.” “He is not a branch—nor even a member—of government and cannot claim the protections and privileges of one,” they said in a statement. Bopp has repeatedly refused to provide information about Crow’s friendship with Thomas, and a committee aide told NBC News that Bopp’s letter was all for show. “The letter spends six pages brazenly and incorrectly claiming Congress has no authority to legislate or conduct oversight in this space—and one sentence offering to keep in touch,” the aide said.