The House Oversight Committee issued subpoenas to banks asking for Biden family associates’ financial records.

Fox News has confirmed that the Oversight Committee subpoenaed Bank of America, Cathay Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and HSBC USA N.A., as well as former Hunter Biden business associate Mervyn Yan, asking for financial records.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, complained that Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., was trying to hide information regarding the investigation from Democrats on the committee.

In a statement to Fox News, Comer said ‘Ranking Member Raskin has again disclosed Committee’s subpoenas in a cheap attempt to thwart cooperation from other witnesses. Given his antics with the first bank subpoena, the American people and media should be asking what information Ranking Member Raskin is trying to hide this time. No one should be fooled by Ranking Member Raskin’s games. We have the bank records, and the facts are not good for the Biden family.’

The Oversight Committee Democratic staff sent a memo to members on Thursday which accuses Republicans of conducting their investigation behind a ‘veil of secrecy.’

‘Despite this massive investment of time and resources, Republican efforts on this and other congressional committees have failed to yield any evidence of misconduct by President Biden. Nevertheless, Chairman Comer has issued six document subpoenas for financial records as part of this renewed investigation, several of which have been based on information Committee Republicans know to be false,’ the memo states.

The Democratic memo alleges that Republicans haven’t been publicizing their subpoenas or notifying Democrats, which has purportedly resulted in some targets of subpoenas being unaware that the committee is seeking their records.

‘On February 27, 2023, Chairman Comer secretly issued the Committee’s first document subpoena as part of Committee Republicans’ ongoing investigation into the Biden family to Bank of America. This subpoena sought, among other information, ‘all financial records’ from January 20, 2009, to the present — a staggering 14-year period — for John R. Walker, a private U.S. citizen… Yet, because of Chairman Comer’s use of a secret subpoena, Mr. Walker was never notified that the Committee had subpoenaed his financial records from Bank of America, he was never notified that Bank of America turned over his records to the Committee, and he was never notified that the Committee was publicly releasing information from these records,’ the memo states.

A spokesperson for Cathay Bank told Fox News Digital that the bank will cooperate with the Oversight Committee.

‘Cathay Bank, a NASDAQ-listed, U.S. financial institution for over 60 years, has cooperated with the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability’s request for information. The bank intends to continue to cooperate with the committee,’ the spokesperson said.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect subpoenas are for Biden family associates.

Wisconsin wildlife officials on Friday released thousands of public comments on a new wolf management plan, some calling for the restoration of a statewide population limit and others urging a total hunting ban.

Department of Natural Resources in November released a draft of its first new wolf management plan in almost 25 years. It would eliminate the existing 350-animal population goal and recommends instead that the DNR work with local advisory committees on whether to reduce local wolf populations, keep them stable, or allow them to grow.

The window for submitting comments on the draft plan ended Feb. 28. The DNR posted about 3,500 redacted comments on its website Friday afternoon.

The comments broadly reflected all sides of the long-running debate over how to best handle the growing number of wolves in Wisconsin. DNR estimates released in September put the statewide population at about 1,000 animals.

Northern Wisconsin farmers have long complained about wolves preying on livestock. Hunters have pointed to the 350-animal number as justification for setting generous quotas during the state’s fall wolf season. Animal advocates counter that the population still isn’t strong enough to support hunting.

Several government entities in rural Wisconsin, including the Douglas, Marathon and Jackson county boards, submitted boilerplate resolutions to the DNR calling for the agency to restore the 350-animal goal, arguing that nothing has changed to warrant its elimination.

Hunting groups, including the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association and Safari Club International, also called for the agency to restore the 350-wolf goal.

‘Without setting a definitive guideline on which to base discretionary management decisions, any effort to stabilize or even reduce the wolf population will be questioned and likely challenged,’ Safari Club International President Sven Lindquist said in a letter to the DNR. ‘Establishing a population objective would provide DNR with a specific goal to point to as it makes decisions like setting annual harvest quotas and methods of harvest.’

Republican legislators introduced a bill that would mandate the DNR establish a new population goal in the final version of the plan but doesn’t say at what level. The proposal hasn’t received a hearing yet.

Conservation groups, meanwhile, applauded the lack of a numeric goal in the draft plan.

‘Removing an arbitrary wolf population goal is important to make sure the numbers of wolves are adaptable,’ Elizabeth Ward, director of the Sierra Club’s Wisconsin chapter, said in a letter. ‘As written in the plan, the goal should be for the state to have a self-sustaining, self-regulating, and genetically diverse wolf population that maintains connectivity with wolf populations in neighboring states and fulfills their ecological roles.’

The Chippewa tribes, which regard the wolf as a sacred brother, submitted comments saying they cannot support hunting wolves and imploring the DNR to include them in discussions on plan revisions.

It’s unclear when DNR officials would submit a final draft to the agency’s policy board. Agency officials said in a statement only that they’re reviewing the comments and will use them to consider revisions. They did not offer a timeline.

DNR spokesperson Katie Grant has not responded to an email from The Associated Press.

Wisconsin law mandates a wolf season but last year a federal judge restored endangered species protections for gray wolves across most of the country, including Wisconsin. The move prohibits hunting the animals. If wolves were ever to lose those protections, the states would be responsible for managing the creatures and Wisconsin hunts would resume.

Federal regulators said Friday that railroads need to re-examine how they assemble their trains after a string of derailments in recent years that were at least partly caused by the way empty and loaded cars were mixed together with locomotives.

Heavy cars at the back of a train can push and pull against empty cars in the middle of a train as it goes over hills and around corners. Those forces have become more of a problem as the industry increasingly relies on longer trains with a wide variety of freight aboard.

Another factor complicating the issue is the industry’s practice of placing locomotives throughout trains. The locomotives can amplify the forces if they’re not used correctly.

The Federal Railroad Administration’s advisory cites six derailments since 2021 where those forces were a factor. They include a Norfolk Southern derailment near Springfield, Ohio, last month and a 2021 Union Pacific derailment that forced the evacuation of Sibley, Iowa, for three days. Regulators say these kind of derailments are happening with increasing frequency.

But regulators didn’t mention the fiery February derailment near East Palestine, Ohio, that prompted much of the recent concern nationwide about railroad safety as an example of this problem. The National Transportation Safety Board has said that an overheated bearing that caused an axle to fail on one of the railcars likely caused that derailment.

But it is still early in the East Palestine investigation, so it’s not clear if the makeup of the train was also a factor.

‘Railroads must prioritize proper train makeup to maintain safety, prevent accidents, and optimize train performance,’ the railroad administration said in the advisory. ‘Further, all operating employees must be properly trained in these technologies and the handling of complex trains to ensure safe operation and minimize human error.’

All of the derailments the FRA mentioned involved trains with at least 125 cars. In every case an empty car was the first to come off the tracks. The order doesn’t specifically single out long trains, but the kind of forces regulators are concerned about are amplified in longer trains, especially if large blocks of empty cars are placed in the middle or front of a train. In three of the six derailments, hazardous chemicals were released, highlighting the potential dangers of these accidents.

The major freight railroads have all overhauled their operations in recent years to rely more on longer trains so they don’t need as many crews or locomotives. Now trains routinely stretch longer than two or even three miles long.

As a train moves across uneven territory, its front half might be getting pulled up a hill while the back half is coming down and pushing forward against the rest of the cars. Those dynamics make it difficult for the engineer to manage.

‘Think about going thru undulating territory sort of like a Slinky. You’re either trying to keep it stretched out or you’re trying to keep it all bunched together to control the forces from going in and out because that’s what causes derailments. And it causes train separations,’ said Mark Wallace, who is second-highest ranking officer with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union. ‘The way to prevent this stuff from happening is to control the train lengths.’

A spokeswoman for the Association of American Railroads trade group said the major freight railroads already use sophisticated computer software to help them build trains and properly distribute the weight. Not only is it important to consider where to put the loaded cars, but railroads also have to factor in that some goods are heavier than others and that the weight of the liquid inside a tank car will shift as the train moves. AAR spokeswoman Jessica Kahanek said the railroads will consider regulators’ recommendations.

‘The industry is committed to productive conversations about how we continue to advance our shared goal of ensuring the safety of the trains that serve customers and communities across the nation,’ Kahanek said.

A spokeswoman for Union Pacific, which handled three of the trains highlighted in the advisory, said the railroad is using high-tech tools to monitor train forces and makes adjustments as needed. Kristen South said UP has seen derailments decline along its network last year and this year, even as maximum train length reached 9,329 feet.

‘We constantly evaluate our processes and continue to work with government agencies and industry partners to further improve safety,’ South said.

Norfolk Southern officials declined to comment on the advisory. That railroad was responsible for two of the derailments in the advisory, as well as the one in East Palestine.

Since the East Palestine derailment, regulators and members of Congress have urged the railroads to take additional steps to prevent derailments. Two different federal agencies have also announced investigations of Norfolk Southern’s safety record, and that railroad’s CEO has had to testify twice at congressional hearings.

Arkansas lawmakers approved a proposed $6.2 billion budget and an overhaul of the state’s sentencing laws on Friday as they wrapped up an 89-day legislative session that’s been marked by approval of Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ school voucher program and a push for new restrictions on transgender people.

The House and Senate approved identical versions of the legislation laying out the budget plan, which calls for increasing state spending by more than $177 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1. The biggest increases are directed toward public schools and the corrections system.

‘We have prioritized the things we should prioritize: public safety, education of our children,’ Senate President Bart Hester, a Republican, told reporters after the vote. ‘And we believe we’re going to continue to have significant surpluses in Arkansas.’

But the only lawmaker who voted against the legislation, Republican Sen. Bryan King, said he thinks the state’s budget has been growing too quickly and lawmakers should find cuts to offset the spending increases.

‘Every time we talk about Washington D.C. or Joe Biden or somebody expanding the debt, we have to first look at ourselves,’ King said.

Legislative leaders say they believe the state has some cushion against changes in the economy, noting that Arkansas has more than $1.3 billion in a catastrophic reserve fund. The budget plan also forecasts the state will build up a $391 million surplus in the coming fiscal year.

‘We’ve positioned ourselves that if there is a downturn, the state will be able to manage it and continue to provide the type of services the public expects,’ House Speaker Matthew Shepherd, a Republican, told reporters.

The Senate also gave final approval to a change in the state’s sentencing laws that will end parole eligibility for certain violent offenses. Sanders and Attorney General Tim Griffin advocated for the proposal. It would require anyone sentenced beginning in 2024 for any of 18 violent offenses — including capital murder, first-degree murder and rape — to serve 100% of their sentence.

Starting in 2025, the bill would also require prisoners to serve at least 85% of a sentence for a list of other offenses, such as second-degree murder. Offenders convicted of other crimes would be required to serve 25% or 50% of their sentences, but the table spelling out which crimes fall under those minimums will be developed later. The changes won’t apply to people who had already been sentenced before the law takes effect.

The Legislature this week approved a separate bill tapping into the state’s surplus for several needs, including $330 million for new prison space and $300 million for a new crime lab building.

Lawmakers plan to reconvene by May 1 to formally adjourn this year’s session and consider any veto overrides. Since taking office in January, Sanders hasn’t yet vetoed any bills that reached her desk, her office said.

Sanders’ top agenda items were approved during the legislative session. Those include a massive education law that will create a school voucher program and raise minimum teacher salaries. Lawmakers this week approved another key part of Sanders’ agenda, a cut in income taxes that will cost the state $124 million a year.

Lawmakers since January have pushed for several bills targeting the rights of transgender people, including a law Sanders signed that’s aimed at reinstating Arkansas’ blocked ban on gender affirming care for minors. The law, which will take effect later this summer, will make it easier to sue providers of such care for minors. The governor has also signed a law that will prohibit transgender people at public schools from using restrooms that align with their gender identity.

The top Democrat in the Senate called the series of bills ‘horrifying.’

‘I think it also sends the message to anyone outside of Arkansas that the state is not welcoming and inclusive,’ Senate Minority Leader Greg Leding said.

There are several major bills awaiting action from Sanders. They include a measure she has supported that would require age verification to use social media sites and parental approval for users under 18, which would make Arkansas the second state to enact such a restriction.

AR enjoyed a budget surplus this year

Alabama lawmakers on Thursday approved harsher penalties for trafficking fentanyl — with punishments of up to life imprisonment — as lawmakers try to respond to the deadly overdose crisis.

The Alabama Senate approved the House-passed bill on a 31-0 vote that came without any debate. The bill now goes to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey who said she will sign the legislation into law ‘in the swiftest order.’ The bill sets mandatory minimum sentences for fentanyl trafficking based upon the weight of the drug including up to life imprisonment for possession of eight grams or more of the deadly substance.

‘Combatting this deadly drug will continue to be a top priority for our Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and I will do everything in my power to stop this drug from being a killer in Alabama,’ Ivey said in a statement. The Republican governor used her State of the State address last month to urge lawmakers to approve the stiffer penalties.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid drug. It is often mixed into other drugs, including heroin, methamphetamine and counterfeit pain pills so people might not know they are ingesting it. In 2021 synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, were responsible for killing more than 70,000 people in the Unites States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lawmakers in multiple states across the country are looking to increase fentanyl penalties in an effort to combat what’s been called the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S. history. The Alabama legislation by Republican Matt Simpson, a former prosecutor, sets mandatory prison sentences and fines for trafficking one gram of fentanyl or more.

Simpson said the weights are for ‘pure fentanyl’ instead of the combined weight when fentanyl is mixed with another drug. He said the intent is to target sellers instead of people who are buying drugs that might have been mixed with fentanyl.

‘One gram seems low… However, one gram can kill up to 500 people. One gram is not for personal use,’ Simpson said.

The mandatory penalties are:

— Three years in prison for amounts between one gram and two grams.

— Ten years in prison for amounts between two grams and four grams.

— Twenty-five years in prison for amounts between four grams and eight grams.

— Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole for amounts of eight grams or more.

Barry Matson, executive director of the Alabama District Attorneys Association, said while the bill passed with little floor debate, there had been a lot of discussions with lawmakers ahead of the vote. He said several lawmakers wanted assurances that the weights weren’t too low.

‘A gram of fentanyl will kill a lot of people,’ Matson said.

Tennessee’s GOP-dominated House on Thursday voted to expel Democratic Rep. Justin Jones from the Legislature for his role in a protest calling for gun control following last week’s shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville that killed six people, including three children. 

Fox 17 Nashville reported that Jones was sanctioned for using a bullhorn when he joined with protesters, which state House leaders called ‘disorderly behavior.’

House lawmakers had also considered ousting Democratic Reps. Gloria Johnson and Justin Pearson. Later on Thursday, the legislature declined to expel Johnson. The 65-30 vote fell just one vote shy of the number needed to oust Johnson. A vote against Pearson was upcoming. 

Last week, the trio of Democratic lawmakers chanted back and forth from the chamber floor with gun-control supporters packed in the gallery. 

Thursday’s 72-25 vote against Jones marked an extraordinary move from lawmakers that has been executed only a handful of times since the Civil War. Most state legislatures possess the power to expel members, but it is normally reserved as a punishment for lawmakers accused of serious misconduct, not as a weapon against political opponents.

‘We are losing our democracy. This is not normal. This is not OK,’ Pearson told reporters. The three ‘broke a House rule because we’re fighting for kids who are dying from gun violence and people in our communities who want to see an end to the proliferation of weaponry in our communities. And that leads to our expulsion? This is not democracy.’

Ahead of the expected vote, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the expulsion ‘shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent.’ 

Thousands of people flocked to the Capitol to support the Democrats, cheering and chanting outside the House chamber so loudly that the noise drowned out the proceedings.

The trio held hands as they walked onto the House floor on Thursday morning, and Pearson raised his fist to the crowd during the Pledge of Allegiance.

Offered a chance to defend himself before the vote, Jones said the GOP responded to the shooting with a different kind of attack.

‘We called for you all to ban assault weapons, and you respond with an assault on democracy,’ he said.

The calls for expulsion, which requires a two-thirds majority, stem from the attack at the Covenant School. Johnson, Jones and Pearson chanted back and forth from the chamber floor with gun-control supporters who packed the gallery.

Republican Rep. Gino Bulso said the three Democratic representatives ‘effectively conducted a mutiny.’

‘The gentleman shows no remorse,’ Bulso said, referring to Jones. ‘He does not even recognize that what he did was wrong. So not to expel him would simply invite him and his colleagues to engage in mutiny on the House floor.’

Any expelled lawmakers would be eligible for appointment back to their seats. They would also be eligible to run in the special election. And under the Tennessee Constitution, lawmakers cannot be expelled for the same offense twice.

Republican Rep. Sabi Kumar advised Jones to be more collegial and less focused on race.

‘You have a lot to offer, but offer it in a vein where people are accepting of your ideas,’ Kumar said.

Jones said he did not intend to assimilate in order to be accepted. ‘I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to make a change for my community,’ he replied.

Many of the protesters traveled from Memphis and Knoxville, areas that Pearson and Johnson represent, and stood in a line that wrapped around the Capitol building to get inside.

Protesters outside the chamber held up signs that read, ‘School zones shouldn’t be war zones,’ ‘Muskets didn’t fire 950 rounds per minute’ with a photo of George Washington and ‘You can silence a gun … but not the voice of the people.’

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Two-thirds of Americans say that President Biden doesn’t deserve to be re-elected, according to a new national poll.

Only 32% of those questioned in a CNN survey released on Thursday said the president deserves a second term in the White House, down from 37% in the cable news network’s December poll. Sixty-seven percent said Biden doesn’t deserve to be re-elected, up from 62% late last year.

Biden, whose approval ratings with all Americans in the CNN poll remain in negative territory, has repeatedly said that he intends to seek a second term in the White House, but he has yet to make any formal announcements. 

However, the president hinted towards a re-election campaign during a speech in early February to party leaders and activists at the DNC’s winter meeting in Philadelphia, when he emphasized that ‘we’re just getting started’ and that ‘I intend to get… more done.’

The 80-year-old Biden made history in 2020 as the oldest person elected president in American history. If he runs and wins re-election, Biden would be 82 at the time of his second inaugural and 86 at the end of the second term.

According to the poll, just 32% of respondents said Biden has the stamina and sharpness to serve effectively as president, with two-thirds disagreeing.

Among Democrat and Democrat-leaning independents, 44% said Biden should be the party’s standard-bearer in 2024. That’s up from 40% in December’s survey. Fifty-four percent said they want a different presidential nominee, down from 59%. Of those who said they wanted a different candidate, 69% offered that they just want ‘someone besides Joe Biden.’

Of the 31% who named a specific alternative, 5% said Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the 2016 and 2020 runner-up in the Democratic nomination race, 4% said Transportation Secy. Pete Buttigieg, who ran for the 2020 nomination, with Vice President Kamala and former First Lady Michelle Obama each at 3%.

Democratic voters were evenly split at 49% on whether Biden represents the party’s best chance at winning the presidency in 2024.

Among Republican voters and GOP leaning independents, 52% said the party should nominate former President Donald Trump, with 47% saying a different candidate.

Support for Trump — who in November launched his third straight presidential campaign — is up from 38% in CNN’s December poll, with support for a different candidate down from 62% late last year.

Of those looking for a different GOP presidential nominee, 28% named Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and 4% named former Vice President Mike Pence.

Forty-nine percent said the GOP has a better chance of winning the 2024 presidential election with Trump as the party’s standard-bearer, with 50% saying the party would be more successful with a different nominee.

The CNN poll was conducted March 1-31, with 1,595 adults nationwide questioned. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

Critics lashed out at the Biden administration Thursday after it unveiled its proposal for new Title IX rules to expand the meaning of sexual discrimination to include gender identity as it relates to the application for transgender athletes participating in women’s sports.

Under the Department of Education’s proposed rule, no school or college that receives federal funding would be allowed to impose a ‘one-size-fits-all’ policy that categorically bans transgender students from playing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity. Such policies would be considered a violation of Title IX.

‘As a woman who has made history breaking glass ceilings, we must protect women. Women and girls have fought tirelessly for their rightful place in sports, and Title IX has been a crucial tool in leveling the playing field,’ Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. 

‘Allowing biological men to compete in women’s sports compromises the hard-won progress women have made in achieving equal opportunities in athletics. We need to find solutions that respect and protect the rights of all individuals while also preserving the integrity and fairness of women’s sports,’ she added.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told Fox the proposed new rules ran in stark contrast to Democrats’ usual rhetoric on women’s issues. ‘For a party that claims to care about women, the left sure is intent on depriving them of the opportunity to fairly compete,’ she said.

‘This insane injustice cannot stand,’ Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., tweeted. ‘Mark my words: I will fight this woke nonsense through the appropriations process.’

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., mocked the proposal as ‘the Biden Easter present to America,’ and warned that the views of parents who have a problem with biological males playing on their daughter’s team and being present in their locker room wouldn’t count.

‘Title IX was meant to protect women’s sports. Now, Biden is using Title IX to destroy them,’ Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweeted.

Nicole Neily, president and founder of advocacy group Parents Defending Education, accused the Biden administration of ‘placing the onus upon school districts’ to determine whether injecting gender identity into athletics was ‘problematic or not.’

‘Without a doubt, institutions are going to err on the side of ‘inclusion,’ because they fear the wrath of the Education Department – thus, achieving the Department’s end goal while allowing them to maintain plausible deniability that they coerced districts into doing so,’ she warned.

In 2022, Biden’s Education Department proposed regulations on Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to expand the meaning of sex discrimination to include ‘gender identity’ and said it would reveal more details in the spring of 2023.

The plan also earned pushback from many conservative groups who argue the president does not have the legal authority to make the changes to Title IX.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has said that he supports allowing biological male transgender people to compete in women’s sports. He said during his confirmation hearing that it is ‘critically important’ that educators and school systems ‘respect the rights of all students, including students who are transgender’ and that all students should be able to participate in activities.

Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

Senate Democrats on Thursday renewed their call for a strict code of ethics to be imposed on the Supreme Court after a report claimed conservative Justice Clarence Thomas has enjoyed lavish gifts from a GOP mega-donor for several years.

A ProPublica investigation found that Thomas’ close friendship with real estate developer Harlan Crow allowed him to accompany the Texas billionaire on luxury vacations on his private jet and yacht, as well as free stays on Crow’s vast vacation property, among other perks. He reportedly failed to disclose the vast majority of Crow’s gifts.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Thomas’ alleged actions are ‘simply inconsistent with the ethical standards the American people expect of any public servant, let alone a Justice on the Supreme Court.’

‘Today’s report demonstrates, yet again, that Supreme Court Justices must be held to an enforceable code of conduct, just like every other federal judge,’ Durbin said in a Thursday statement. ‘The ProPublica report is a call to action, and the Senate Judiciary Committee will act.’

Progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., shared similar sentiments in her calls for accountability.

‘The American people deserve a federal judiciary that is accountable to the rule of law, not wealthy Republican donors. Today’s news is a stark reminder that judges should be held to the highest ethical standards and free from conflicts of interest,’ Warren wrote on Twitter.

‘[A]s long as 9 justices are exempt from any process for enforcing basic ethics, public faith in SCOTUS will continue to decline, and dark money and special interests will maintain their relentless grip on our democracy,’ wrote Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., who introduced legislation to tighten ethics requirements for Supreme Court justices in the last Congress.

Another senator took it a step further and reiterated calls to expand the court past its current nine seats, something President Joe Biden has opposed.

‘My take on this: Clarence Thomas has proven what we’ve suspected all along — the Supreme Court is beholden to right-wing corporate interest groups and billionaire mega-donors. The Court is broken. The constitutional remedy is clear — expand the Court,’ wrote Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn.

In a statement to ProPublica, Crow denied ever trying to influence Thomas or put him in positions where other influential people could do the same.

‘The hospitality we have extended to the Thomas’s (sic) over the years is no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dear friends,’ part of the statement reads. ‘We have never asked about a pending or lower court case, and Justice Thomas has never discussed one, and we have never sought to influence Justice Thomas on any legal or political issue. More generally, I am unaware of any of our friends ever lobbying or seeking to influence Justice Thomas on any case, and I would never invite anyone who I believe had any intention of doing that.’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and other congressional progressive lawmakers called for the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas amid reports he failed to disclose gifts he accepted from a Republican megadonor. 

‘This is beyond party or partisanship. This degree of corruption is shocking – almost cartoonish,’ Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Thursday. ‘Thomas must be impeached. Barring some dramatic change, this is what the Roberts court will be known for: rank corruption, erosion of democracy, and the stripping of human rights.’

A report by ProPublica said Thomas took luxury trips on yachts and private jets owned by Texas businessman Harlan Crow without reporting them on financial disclosure forms. A 2019 trip to Indonesia, the story detailed, could have cost more than $500,000 had Thomas chartered the plane and yacht himself, the report said.

Supreme Court justices are required to file annual financial disclosure reports, which ask them about gifts they’ve received. 

Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., both called for Thomas’ impeachment, with Omar tweeting: ‘I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Clarence Thomas needs to be impeached.’

Other Democrats said the high court should have higher ethical standards. 

‘Justice Thomas’ lavish undisclosed trips with a GOP mega-donor undermine the trust that our country places in the Supreme Court,’ Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said. ‘Time for an enforceable code of conduct for Justices.’

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., noted that federal judges are bound by a code of conduct ‘except 9.’

‘It’s no longer ok for the Supreme Court to be the only federal court without a binding ethical code,’ Murphy tweeted. ‘For over a decade, every Congress I’ve introduced the Supreme Court Ethics Act. It’s time to pass it.’

Fox News Digital has reached out to the high court. 

Last month, the federal judiciary beefed up disclosure requirements for all judges, including the high court justices, although overnight stays at personal vacation homes owned by friends remain exempt from disclosure.

Last year, questions about Thomas’ ethics arose when it was disclosed that he did not step away from election cases following the 2020 election despite the fact that his wife, conservative activist Virginia Thomas, reached out to lawmakers and the White House to urge defiance of the election results.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.