Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas bemoaned “the nastiness and the lies” that he said have plagued him and his wife, Ginni, over the past several years.

Thomas unleashed on his critics as he was interviewed on stage during the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals conference in Alabama this week.

“Being in Washington, you have to get used to particularly people who are reckless,” said Thomas according to reports. “They don’t bomb you, necessarily, but they bomb your reputation or your good name or your honor. And that’s not a crime, but they can do as much harm that way.”

Thomas has been the target of ethics concerns over failing to disclose lavish trips and expensive gifts from conservative megadonor Harlan Crow, as first reported by ProPublica. Thomas’ wife, Ginny, has faced her own scrutiny for ties to the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

The New York Times called Justice Thomas’ statements “among the few public remarks” he has made since the ethics concerns came to light.

Thomas continued, “My wife and I, the last two or three years, it’s been – just the nastiness and the lies – it’s just incredible. There’s certainly been a lot of negativity in our lives, my wife and I, over the last few years, but we choose not to focus on it.”

Thomas added, “You don’t get to prevent people from doing horrible things or saying horrible things. But one, you have to understand and accept the fact that they don’t, they can’t change you unless you permit that.”

When speaking about Washington, D.C., Thomas said, “I think what you’re gonna find, and especially in Washington, [is] people pride themselves in being awful. It is a hideous place, as far as I’m concerned.”

Read the article from The New York Times here.

The post Clarence Thomas Slams ‘Nastiness and Lies’ Of Critics, Calls D.C. ‘Hideous’ At Judicial Conference first appeared on Mediaite.

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