Meet Harlan Crow, long-time controversial friend of the Supreme Court’s Clarence Thomas

Jun 25 , 2024

Who is Harlan Crow, Nazi memorabilia collector and friend of Supreme Court’s Clarence Thomas – and why is their friendship currently under so much scrutiny? Photo: TNS

The billionaire has funded trips with Thomas, donated large sums to Republican candidates, and owns a signed copy of Mein Kampf

Harlan Crow, a Republican Party supporter and Dallas billionaire businessman has, for over three decades, paid for luxurious trips on behalf of Supreme Court associate justice Clarence Thomas, including private jets and yacht trips, and excursions to islands and retreats. Now, questions have emerged about their friendship.

Here’s what to know about Harlan Crow, from the Nazi memorabilia he owns to his Mao and Stalin sculpture garden.

Why is Harlan Crow in the news?

Crow has been making headlines because of his connection to associate justice Thomas. Per The New York Times, Thomas amended mandatory financial disclosures to reveal that he had accepted luxury travel “gifts” from Crow. He admitted to taking trips to an Indonesian island and to an all-male club in the Northern California redwoods that the billionaire paid for.

The extent of their relationship was first revealed by ProPublica in 2023, where it was reported that Crow had been funding trips for Thomas for decades. Until the report, Crow had never included the trips in his financial disclosures. Per the publication, Thomas had regularly used Crow’s private jet, had access to his private yacht, and regularly visited his private resort in the Adirondacks.

Thomas released a statement at the time explaining why he had never revealed the “family trips”: his peers had advised him that they were “not reportable” as Crow had no “business before the court”. The legal ethics experts that ProPublica consulted, however, disagreed.

Harlan Crow and Clarence Thomas’ friendship

According to ProPublica, Crow and Thomas became “genuine friends” after the latter became a justice. Their connection has always courted controversy because of Thomas’ legal influence and Crow’s Republican politics. Said controversy goes back almost 15 years, with The New York Times reporting on their “unusual and ethically sensitive friendship” in 2011. A report by Forbes added that the two share “conservative” philosophies, and described how there is a painting of the two of them together at one of Crow’s properties.

Where does Harlan Crow’s money come from?

Crow is in charge of a property and investment business that his late father, Trammell Crow, started, per The New York Times. Trammell was at one stage known as the biggest “landlord in the US” because of his extensive property portfolio. According to The Dallas Morning News, Trammell was behind landmark projects like the Peachtree Center in Atlanta and the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco.