Global Courant
Media attacks Clarence Thomas for ethics scandals
Federalist editor-in-chief Mollie Hemingway and Fox News congressional correspondent Aishah Hasnie discuss allegations of an “organized” and “coordinated” effort by the left to delegitimize the Supreme Court.
Constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley slammed Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison for comparing Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to a house slave from a Quentin Tarantino movie, and called out Democrats for not condemning the comment.
“The bitter irony is that Thomas is the antithesis of the Stephen character AG Ellison references in this latest racist attack,” Turley, a Fox News contributor, tweeted Wednesday morning.
Turley’s tweet linked to an article on his blog titled “The Django Syndrome: What The Latest Racist Attacks on Clarence Thomas Say About Our Rage Politics.”
“Thomas has always refused to give in to the demands of others about how he should think as a lawyer because of his race. Keith Ellison has long valued harassment as a political weapon,” the tweet added. “He previously praised the ultra-violent group Antifa as useful for ‘instilling fear’ in Trump and Republicans. Of course, Django is all about righteous anger as a license for the most extreme actions.”
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Professor Jonathan Turley and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (Getty Images)
This week, Ellison lashed out at Thomas for his stance in the 6-3 affirmative action ruling, comparing him to the “house slave” character in Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 western action film “Django Unchained.”
“Anyone who’s seen the movie ‘Django,’ just look at Stephen and you’ll see Clarence Thomas,” Ellison said.
“Clarence Thomas has decided that his best personal interest is to side with the powerful and the special interests, regardless of who they’ll hurt. He says, I’ll take care of me and I don’t care about you, but I’m on the Supreme Court, so it’s my job to take care of you.” “So he’s abdicating his responsibility. He abdicated it a long time ago. When he took office, he was like that. He’s like that now, maybe he’s worse now.”
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Associate Justice Clarence Thomas (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
In his article, Turley cited the lack of concern of a “single Democrat” about the “openly racist attack” against Thomas and specifically mentioned the silence of Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and Gov. Tim Walz, both of whom have openly denounced rhetoric they have viewed as racist from the other side.
Turley also pointed to the media’s relative silence on the current issue, as well as historically when it comes to racist attacks against Thomas, which he says have been happening since the day he was nominated to the bench in 1991.
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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison testifies at the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy hearing (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“The media has been relentless in its hostile and one-sided coverage of Thomas,” wrote Turley, the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. “While we were showing streaming pieces announcing the backgrounds of liberal judges, there was a virtual news blackout about Thomas’ amazing life story, one of the truly most inspiring stories of overcoming every possible obstacle in life.”
“The silence from figures in academia, the media and politics has been deafening,” Turley told Fox News Digital in a statement Wednesday. “Even when faced with raucous racist attacks on Thomas, few want to be seen as defenders of the jurist. He remains a figure of cathartic fury on the left, unfettered by principles of decency or consistency.”
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In recent months, Thomas has come under intense scrutiny from the left regarding his travel habits and friendship with a billionaire Republican donor, which a government compliance expert told Fox News Digital in April amounts to “politics downright.”
Ellison’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.