In mid-2023, ProPublica published an extensive report detailing the many luxury trips Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife had taken with his wealthy friends.
The report repeatedly emphasized that Thomas failed to disclose these trips as potential conflicts of interest, even though he was not required to do so.
Multiple additional outlets promptly picked up the story, with the overarching implication being that Thomas’s travels with wealthy friends were clear signs of corruption.
In recent weeks, President Joe Biden has gone on a similar excursion with a wealthy Democratic donor.
Interestingly, though the circumstances seem nearly identical, Biden’s wealthy donor-funded vacation has drawn far less fire from establishment media sources.
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The excursion was during the front half of the president’s ongoing two-week-long vacation.
The second half of Biden’s vacation began on Sunday when he arrived at his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, per the New York Post.
Biden, the First Lady and other members of the Biden clan spent the previous six nights at the California ranch home of billionaire Democratic donor Joe Kiani.
Though some Democrats may argue the circumstances over Biden’s visit are somehow different than Thomas’s vacations with wealthy friends, there certainly is an appearance of a serious conflict of interest.
Is Biden corrupt?
As noted by the Post, Kiani — a Democratic donor as mentioned above — has received “at least” $3 million in federal contracts during Biden’s tenure.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Kiani is just one of many wealthy Democratic donors to have hosted Biden and his family in the last few years.
In addition to the $3 million in federal funding he’s earned for his medical technology company Masimo, Kiani also sits on a science and technology council that advises Biden.
Few private individuals have such an influence on the president’s dealings.
Even fewer earn millions of dollars from the federal government while being referred to as “one of [the] closest friends” of its leader.
The questionable visit didn’t go unnoticed by all, however, even if it did garner far less media scrutiny than Thomas’s travels.
One X post pointing out the clear difference in news coverage between Thomas’s vacations and Biden’s garnered well over a quarter of a million impressions.
Side question: Biden spent the week at the estate of billionaire mega donor Joe Kiani.
Didn’t Dems just a year+ arguing that Clarence Thomas going on vacations with and using the boat/lodging of a rich friend was indisputable evidence of corruption? https://t.co/M9EXonwFpv
— AG (@AGHamilton29) August 26, 2024
“Side question: Biden spent the week at the estate of billionaire mega donor Joe Kiani,” the post read.
“Didn’t Dems just [spend] a year+ arguing that Clarence Thomas going on vacations with and using the boat/lodging of a rich friend was indisputable evidence of corruption?”
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