Topic: Newsmax
Larry Bell wasn't the only Newsmax columnist to offer space to gushing over Clarence Thomas. Michael Dorstewitz did much the same in his June 29 column. Apparently annoyed by Hillary Clinton's description of Thomas as a "person of grievance," Dorstewitz dug up a random anecdote of Thomas not being terrible:
First of all, Clinton was a year ahead of Thomas, so it's doubtful that they even shared any classes. Secondly, no one will die because of the Dobbs decision. Even states that ban abortions make exceptions to save the life of the mother. It's a matter of well-established medical practice.
Bryan Griffin, deputy press secretary to Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, called Clinton's assessment of Thomas "offensive, disgusting, and false," and countered it with a touching anecdote.
He recalled that seven years ago after he'd passed the bar, "I stopped [Justice Thomas] in a lobby in D.C. and asked him if he would do me the honor of swearing me in as a lawyer."
He could have said no. Thomas was a well-known Supreme Court justice; Griffin was a snotty-nosed kid fresh out of law school. But he agreed, and it was no rushed ceremony.
"He invited me to his office at the [Supreme Court] the next day, [after work] and spent hours with me in conversation, earnestly affording me his time and encouraging me. A friend and a law professor accompanied me."
Griffin attached a photo of his swearing-in ceremony as proof, and continued with his story.
"He showed us pictures from his latest vacation with his wife and fondly spoke of the love he has for her," he said. "We discussed America, and from everything he said it was clear he loves this country and the people in it."
And lest anyone assume Griffin was somehow connected, he added, "He did not know me or owe me anything. But he afforded me incredible kindness. I am certain he extends the same to others."
Griffin, by the way, has been living on this anecdote for years, making sure to highlight in his bios for think tanks he subsequently worked at that he was sworn in by Thomas as apparent proof of his right-wing credentials. Dorstewitz then served up another less-than-objective source:
And Michael Pack, who co-authored the recently-released book, "Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words," can attest to Thomas' willingness to freely give his time.
Both the book and a previously-released documentary film of the same name that Pack produced and directed were the result of more than 30 hours of interviews.
Of course a guy who wrote a book and movie -- with Mark Paoletta, who helped push Thomas' Supreme Court nomination -- is going to be self-serving and say only nice things about Thomas. He has a book and movie to sell, after all.
Needless to say, Dorstewitz is completely silent about the right-wing activism of Thomas' wife, Ginni -- particiularly her work in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential eleciton -- that would seem to demand that Thomas recuse from certain cases before the Supreme Court though he has not.
