Letters

In response to last week’s letter “Contrast in Coverage” [Letters, July 27]: The author tried to defend Justice Clarence Thomas against claims of impropriety by saying that he “openly accepted gifts,” and that Thomas was being pilloried because of recent right-leaning decisions by SCOTUS. Also, that “the left” was “smear(ing) his impeccable character.”

The author fails to acknowledge that questions about Thomas go back decades. The “openly accepted gifts” were, in fact, not open at all. They were omitted on disclosure forms, and Thomas (along with Justice Samuel Alito) failed to recuse himself on cases that involved the interests of those who bestowed the gifts.

We’re not talking about mere trinkets, either. Luxury vacations, tuition, land, etc., were some of the gifts in question.

It’s not only the “left” who argue for a code of ethics for SCOTUS. Many moderates and some Republicans also are calling for transparency.

The author then pivots to attempt to spin a thin thread into an attack on President Joe Biden.

First, the author admits to only “anecdotal evidence and testimony” against the “Biden family.” To be clear, there is some evidence and testimony against Hunter Biden. I’m not going to try to defend Hunter. He obviously has had issues, and if he’s guilty, let a fair and honest verdict be rendered.

However, the contortionists in the House who continue to try to tie President Biden to his son have borne no fruit. The smoking guns promised by Jim Jordan and others have either not appeared or have been refuted, oftentimes by other Republicans and Trump appointees. These smoking guns have proven less potent than cap pistols.

Finally, the author takes Hunter’s issues and evolves it into the “Biden family business,” as if President Biden, without any credible evidence, is part of some international scheme. The author, through a literary sleight-of-hand, tries to make the reader believe that the president is guilty of a scheme with his son that is “the biggest scandal in presidential history.”

His proof being, what? I guess we’re back to the unproven and often discredited “explosive accusations.”

Finally, the author ties this all together by proclaiming President Biden “an outright crook who has sold his public office.” So, is President Biden an international mastermind or a doddering senior? The far right can’t make up its mind.

Instead, maybe he’s a decent man who has a troubled son. Also, he’s shepherded our country through difficult times with better economic results than almost every other country. All while delivering the biggest infrastructure redo since Eisenhower, the CHIPS Act, the PACT Act, the rebuilding of our international alliances, and much more.

Perfect? No. But some remarkable progress.

Not bad for a doddering international criminal mastermind.

Harry Mainzer

East Quogue