Appleton, Wis. – Having previously called for Justice Clarence Thomas’s impeachment and pledging to be a vote for his removal, Outagamie County Executive and pro-labor populist Tom Nelson on Wednesday issued the following statement, joining a small group of House Democrats in calling for Thomas to resign from the U.S. Supreme Court or be impeached in light of newly revealed emails from his wife, Ginni Thomas, to Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows urging the overturning of a democratic election:
“Republicans have run roughshod over American democracy during this nightmare era of the ‘Big Lie’ and the deadly Capitol Insurrection, promoted by vicious ideologues like Donald Trump and Sen. Ron Johnson. Now I’ve seen enough to understand that American justice and democracy are imperiled every second longer Justice Clarence Thomas sits on the bench.
“His wife’s clarion calls for illegal acts are so severe, so outrageous, that he cannot be believed to be an impartial jurist with his continued refusal to recuse himself from relevant cases. All the evidence shows that the attack on the foundations of our Constitutional democracy doesn’t come apart from Justice Thomas, but with him as a willing partner. He is a ‘best friend’ to insurrection.
“Republicans have shown they are no longer honest brokers when it comes to defending our democracy, so it’s up to the Democratic Party to shape this conversation and be the last line of defense. If I’m a lonely voice in this call for Thomas’s resignation, it won’t be the first time – and it won’t be the last. And if Thomas does not resign, he must be impeached. Timid Democrats who remain silent now do our nation a disservice and will be judged by history, too.”
