Clarence Thomas aide received payments from lawyers with Supreme Court cases

Washington, July 15 (RHC)-- Several lawyers who have had business before the U.S. Supreme Court used the online payment app "Venmo" to send money to a top aide to Justice Clarence Thomas.  That’s according to The Guardian, which reports the payments to the aide, Rajan Vasisht, appear to have been made in connection to a 2019 Christmas party held by Justice Thomas. 

Among those making payments was Patrick Strawbridge, who recently successfully argued that affirmative action violated the U.S. Constitution, and Elbert Lin, who played a key role in a case that saw the Supreme Court limit the EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. 

Former White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter responded: “There is no excuse for it. … A federal government employee collecting money from lawyers for any reason … I don’t see how that works.”