In ProPublica’s most recent series about Justice Clarence Thomas, one article in particular has been particularly controversial.
The story is centered around a yacht trip that Justice Thomas allegedly took around the Bahamas, and which he reportedly told his close friend never happened.
This voyage has raised some questions and sparked some accusations.
The chauffeur of oil baron Tony Novelly said that his company drove Justice Thomas to the marina where Novelly’s 26-foot luxury yacht, known as the Le Montrachet, was docked.
Mark Paoletta, a partner at Schaerr Jaffe law firm and close friend of the justice told The Wall Street Journal op-ed that he had spoken with Thomas about this matter and he claimed that he had not even seen the boat before.
He added: “ProPublica’s claim that Justice Thomas was a passenger on any yacht owned by Tony Novelly including the Le Montrachet, is completely false.”
He went on to say: “He last visited the Bahamas in the 1980s long before he joined Supreme Court and long before he met Mr. Novelly.”
Further emphasizing his point was Paoletta’s statement asserting: “There is not a shred of truth to this story.”
According to ProPublica, 38 destination vacations were taken by Justice Thomas which they reported on in their article detailing gifts from wealthy friends.
Three former employees who worked for Novally have alleged they remember seeing him aboard his yachts multiple times including this journey round Bahamas’ waters.
However Stephen Engelberg, editor-in-chief at ProPublica said: “We asked Justice Thomas about this trip and he did not respond.”
Continuing their response Engelberg explained ProPublica’s stance saying “We take any allegation of error seriously and our policy is to correct any inaccuracies as quickly as possible”.
In an attempt to clear up some confusion surrounding what actually happened Paoletta wrote in WSJ op-ed claiming that although no voyage occurred on Novally’s yacht specifically, there was one instance when walking onto a different yacht (Daybreak) owned by Novally for 30 minutes for an engine room tour did occur which appears to be why it has caused so much debate amongst those involved or familiar with it all.
