Report: Ginni Thomas Regularly Gave Trump ‘Insane’ Lists Of People To Hire

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - FEBRUARY 23: Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, moderates a pannel discussion titled "When did World War III Begin? Part A: Threats at Home" during the Co... NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - FEBRUARY 23: Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, moderates a pannel discussion titled "When did World War III Begin? Part A: Threats at Home" during the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center February 23, 2017 in National Harbor, Maryland. Hosted by the American Conservative Union, CPAC is an annual gathering of right wing politicians, commentators and their supporters. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, privately met with then-President Donald Trump multiple times while he was in office to personally offer whack advice on whom the loyalty-obsessed Trump should keep in his White House, the Daily Beast reports.

The New York Times and Axios have previously reported that Thomas would pass hiring recommendations, compiled by her conservative organization Groundswell, along to Trump.

The Daily Beast’s new report includes more details on the kind of people Thomas would urge Trump to hire. It also digs into the ways in which her White House visits would often whip Trump into a rage as they discussed who she thought was being disloyal to him or who she believed to be part of the “Deep State.”

The meetings often resulted in Trump demanding that the alleged disloyalist be fired “immediately,” sources told the Daily Beast.

Thomas reportedly gave Trump memos on who he ought to bring aboard, which often consisted of conspiracy theorists and far-right extremists – and then Trump would actually order for them to be officially vetted.

One of Thomas’ recommendations reportedly included Frank Gaffney, the founder of an Islamophobic think tank, who thinks terrorists are plotting to destroy the U.S. electrical grid with something he calls a “electromagnetic pulse” attack.

Speaking to the Daily Beast, one of the ex-Trump officials who dealt with the memos was blunt about Thomas’ recommendations.

“These fucking lists were so insane and unworkable,” the former official said. “A lot of them were dripping with paranoia and read like they were written by a disturbed person.”

Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told the Daily Beast that Trump “loved talking to Ginni so much” because he “loved hearing about who was a Never Trumper, or allegedly one.”

Thomas reportedly advising Trump on who to hire and fire on the basis of far-right conspiracy theories aligns with what we’ve learned about Thomas in recent days, as she reportedly urged then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to help Trump steal the 2020 election, describing Joe Biden’s victory as “the greatest Heist of our History.”

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. Emotionally Trump operates at the level of a 13 year old fangirl that has found herself sharing the airport waiting lounge with a dreamy K-Pop band.

  2. Always curious how these dark lists get made. I assume there is a money trail.

  3. Avatar for pshah pshah says:

    JFC. I wouldn’t run a mom and pop store this way let alone the US government. Is it really any wonder everything he touches dies? Dysfunctional doesn’t begin to touch what happened the previous four years.

  4. And the hits just keep on coming.

  5. As I’ve said, Clarence Thomas needs to retire prontito from the Supreme Court. It really doesn’t matter if he knows what his wife is up to or might be a giant of legal thought. Technically, justices are not subject to usual ethical rules that apply to the rest of judiciary, but that is because it is assumed they set the standard. His decision to hang around only contributes to ungovernability.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

198 more replies

Participants

Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for irasdad Avatar for inversion Avatar for sparrowhawk Avatar for lastroth Avatar for gr Avatar for generalsternwood Avatar for riverstreet Avatar for fiftygigs Avatar for darrtown Avatar for benthere Avatar for thunderclapnewman Avatar for tena Avatar for jinnj Avatar for dommyluc Avatar for dannydorko Avatar for rhs1963 Avatar for eaharrison Avatar for yellowbeard Avatar for rascal_crone Avatar for dicktater Avatar for emiliano4 Avatar for Hatmama Avatar for old_guru

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: