On Monday’s “The Late Show,” Stephen Colbert spent considerable time mocking Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and the many, many expensive gifts he’s received from a billionaire Republican donor. And during the bit, Colbert took a moment to imagine how Thomas first became acquainted with his friend.
“Oh, he was bribing me,” Colbert joked.
Last week, Propublica reported that for more than 20 years, Thomas has been treated to expensive luxury vacations by Texas billionaire Harlan Crow that Thomas has never once reported these lavish gifts on his financial disclosures.
Since the story came out, details about Crow have emerged that paint the major Republican donor in an unflattering light, particularly his affinity for collecting Nazi memorabilia.
Colbert brought all of this up about half way into his monologue, joking after he recapped the above, “Wow, I can’t believe Clarence Thomas did something inappropriate, said a Wooly Mammoth reanimated after being frozen in the Siberian permafrost.”
Colbert noted that Crow and Thomas’ relationship “was more than just a few voyages on the SS moneybags. These luxury trips happened virtually every year for more than two decades, including trips around the world on Crow’s super yacht, flying on Crow’s G5 jet and visits to Crow’s various estates.”
Colbert noted how their relationship is so longstanding that one of the resorts Crow frequently takes Thomas to has a framed picture of the two of them hanging out. Colbert then noted Thomas’ defense of the whole thing: that he thought “this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the court, was not reportable.”
After referring to Thomas’ statement that he and Crow have been friends for more than 25 years, Colbert continued: “OK, but you’ve been on the Supreme Court for 31 years.”
“Oh, it’s not a bribe, he’s my friend,” Colbert continued. “Oh, how did you guys meet? He was bribing me.”
You can watch the whole monologue above now.