Fact Check: Is Harlan Crow related to Jim Crow? Nazi memorabilia under scrutiny in wake of latest Clarence Thomas revelation

The latest report in Propublica revealed that billionaire Harlan Crow’s financial largesse toward Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas did not just extend to him but was also bestowed on Judge’s extended family, including his nephew Mark Martin.

Last Month, ProPublica first revealed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accepted luxury gifts from GOP’s mega-donor Harlan Crow for twenty years. However, he failed to disclose them in public filings, raising ethical questions stemming from the transactions.

While the Judge defended the trips by citing a "personal hospitality" exemption, it was later revealed that in 2014, GOP mega-donor Harlan Crow bought Clarence Thomas' childhood home in Savannah and allowed the Judge’s mother to live rent-free at the residence.

A new report now alleges that Crow paid Mark Martin’s $6000 tuition at a private boarding school called Hidden Lakes Academy in northern Georgia for about a year. Thomas reportedly obtained legal custody of Martin when he was six years old.

The allegations were corroborated by former school administrator Christopher Grimwood who also revealed Crow paid Martin’s tuition while he attended another private boarding school, Randolph-Macon Academy, in Virginia. As per the report, Crow bankrolled a total of $150,000 in tuition fees which were undisclosed by Thomas.

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Twitter erupts as old report revealing Harlan Crow's affinity for Nazi memorabilia emerges online

As ProPublica continues to dissect the unethical relationship between the supreme court justice and GOP Mega Donor Harlan Crow, the series of alarming revelations has concerned many lawmakers. The concerns were compounded after an old report unearthed by The Washingtonian highlighted Crow’s penchant for collecting Nazi memorabilia at his Dallas home.

The re-emergence of the article had social media users wondering if the billionaire has any ties to Jim Crow, a fictitious figure that represents repressive laws and customs, which were historically used to restrict African-Americans' rights. Harlan Crow is not related to “Jim Crow,'' as the latter is only a fictional character.

The character was developed by a white actor Thomas Rice in the 1830s as a disparaging caricature of a Black enslaved man. The term was then adopted to a racial caste system segregating black Americans, which came to be known as Jim Crow laws.

However, since Harlan Crow has a history of collecting Nazi artefacts, social media users began drawing parallels between the two as both highlight a reverence for despotic rituals.

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Details of Harlan Crow's Nazi collection explored

Last week, Washingtonian cited a 2014 article by the Dallas Morning News, where the reporter Mariana Greene was supposedly shocked after discovering a confounding amount of Nazi memorabilia reposing at Harlan Crow’s Dallas Home.

Crow, who boasts millions of dollars worth of historical artifacts at his home, including signed documents by George Washington and Christopher Columbus, reportedly had a signed copy of Mein Kampf. Amidst the dictator’s signed book, the author also found cityscape painting illustrated by Hitler, Nazi medallions, and swastika-embossed linens, among other things that she found a bit jarring.

Crow’s backyard dubbed 'The Garden of Evil' reportedly featured statues of notorious despots like Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, Yugoslav dictator Josip Broz Tito, and Russia’s Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin. Commenting on the apparent shrine dedicated to dictators, the visitor to Crow’s home told the Washingtonian:

“I still can’t get over the collection of Nazi memorabilia. It would have been helpful to have someone explain the significance of all the items. Without that context, you sort of just gasp when you walk into the room.”

Meanwhile, Crow, in an extensive interview with The Dallas Morning News, defended his relationship with Thomas, saying that it was "insane" to suggest that he would ever try to influence the supreme court justice whom he considers a close friend.

The latest revelation has become part of the widening scandal shrouding Clarence Thomas, who is facing increasing calls to resign or be impeached.