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The Clarence Thomas Stories That PBS Refused to Tell
WSJ.com ^ | May 19, 2023 5:29 pm ET | John C. Danforth

Posted on 05/21/2023 7:38:49 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

I gave an interview about the Supreme Court justice that ended up on the cutting room floor. Here’s what the network didn’t air.

A popular tactic of American politics, especially on the left, is to attack the character of those with whom you don’t agree. This was evident with the recent show “Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court,” which PBS aired on May 9.

A PBS producer emailed me last January about a planned documentary on the life and legacy of Justice Thomas, who used to work for me. The producer wrote that she wanted “to speak to those closest to him to present a nuanced portrait,” and she would “therefore like to request an interview.”

I agreed to an interview that lasted an hour and a half. That was my mistake. The resulting show was far from nuanced, and it wasn’t really a documentary. It was a two-hour hit job on the character of Clarence Thomas.

I am indeed close to the justice. He worked for me twice, first as an assistant Missouri attorney general, then later as a legislative assistant in my Senate office. In the nearly 50 years I have known him, I have never commented publicly on his judicial philosophy or discussed with him a case before the court. My relationship with Justice Thomas can be summed up succinctly: I am his friend.

Trusting that PBS wanted personal memories that illustrated the character of my friend, I shared three stories that go to the heart of the man. Maybe because these stories contradicted the narrative PBS chose to present, it didn’t run any of them. The only excerpts from my interview it showed were biographical filler. To tell the real story of the person I know, I now...

(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: clarencethomas

1 posted on 05/21/2023 7:38:49 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Not going to fight the WSJ paywall to read the entire story.
But NPR has been running hit pieces on Thomas for a month or so now. Sometimes the lead story when there is much more important news.


2 posted on 05/21/2023 7:44:51 AM PDT by nomorelurker
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“Biden has a habit of staying for free at the homes of wealthy supporters, raising ethics concerns.”

https://nypost.com/2022/12/28/biden-staying-at-st-croix-villa-of-donors-who-got-state-dinner-invite/


3 posted on 05/21/2023 7:51:52 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Brian Griffin

It’s Danforth. He has to be one naive idiot. He knows what the deal is. It’s been 30 years and he still doesn’t get it. Thinks he can still work with the evil ones. Gotta be in his mid 80’s and hasn’t learned a thing.


4 posted on 05/21/2023 7:58:58 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

PBS produces state-sponsored racism.


5 posted on 05/21/2023 7:59:11 AM PDT by cockroach_magoo (“Sure we’ll have Fascism here, but it will come as an anti-Fascism movement.”  - Huey Long)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

They surely intend to impeach Thomas knowing that the Senate would *never* vote to convict. One can only assume that they’ll do so in order to deflect attention away from Hunter...the laptop...the border...and the fact that The Big Guy can’t even spell “eight”...or “billion”.


6 posted on 05/21/2023 8:38:03 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Two Words: BANANA REPUBLIC!)
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To: cockroach_magoo

You mean Maoism surely.


7 posted on 05/21/2023 8:38:29 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Two Words: BANANA REPUBLIC!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Here's a little something to cleanse your palate and give a taste of the real Clarence Thomas: Big Rig Man.

8 posted on 05/21/2023 8:52:20 AM PDT by Blurb2350 (posted from my 1500-watt blow dryer)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Senator Danforth showed some remarkable naivete for a long-time Washington insider. Hopefully he learned something.


9 posted on 05/21/2023 9:09:56 AM PDT by Rummyfan (In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized of man.)
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To: Rummyfan

I never forgave him for his coverup of the FBI slaughter of the Branch Davidians when they were trying to escape the buildings the FBI set on fire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOW6UbAVs8A

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/07/22/investigation-clears-agents-at-waco/11e8f9f1-1963-4646-8e91-136642f17ec3/


10 posted on 05/21/2023 9:17:23 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (The worst thing about censorship is ████ █ ██████ ███████ ███ ██████ ██ ████████. FJB.)
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To: DIRTYSECRET

“As for the people at PBS, I regret that they duped me into a long interview that went nowhere. Even though they’re subsidized with taxpayer money, I respect their editorial freedom to broadcast whatever they please, however biased and lacking in nuance. But in the interest of accuracy, I ask that they not fob off a political hit job as a “documentary.””

This is how pathetic John Danforth is. If he was still serving in the Senate he’d still be approving budgets that included funding for PBS.


11 posted on 05/21/2023 9:24:14 AM PDT by princeofdarkness
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To: princeofdarkness
So, to sum up, Senator Danforth, PBS can smear a Supreme Court Justice who is a long time friend of yours and, in respect of their editorial freedom, your culminating objection is simply that PBS called the effort a documentary? If they had called it a presentation of opinion would you be OK with what PBS did? With Danforth on Thomas's side as a key defender, no wonder PBS and other enemies feel emboldened.
12 posted on 05/21/2023 10:01:42 AM PDT by Rockingham
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

.


13 posted on 05/22/2023 4:49:01 AM PDT by sauropod (“If they don’t believe our lies, well, that’s just conspiracy theorist stuff, there.”)
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