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US S.Court justice dismisses lavish gifts reports as lies

AFP | Washington, United States  

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who has found himself under scrutiny over his judicial decisions and accepting lavish gifts from a billionaire Republican, is dismissing the criticism as "nastiness" and "lies," according to US media.

"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," the New York Times quoted Thomas as saying Friday at a judicial conference in the southern US state of Alabama.

Staunch conservative Thomas, the longest- serving justice on the court, has been embroiled in controversy since it emerged last year that he had gone on a trip paid for by Republican donor and real estate tycoon Harlan Crow.

The justice has also faced calls to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election because of his wife's involvement with efforts to block Joe Biden's victory.