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FACT BRIEF

Did Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife charter buses for January 6, 2021, protesters in Washington, D.C.?

By Alexis Tereszcuk
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NO

Justice Clarence Thomas's wife, Ginni Thomas, did promote the rally that evolved into protesters storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, but there have been no documents or witnesses to support a claim that she or her husband paid for buses that transported supporters to the event.

A claim went viral in January 2021 that implied Ginni Thomas was connected to Turning Point USA, which sent buses of people to the rally, and it has resurfaced again in April 2021. The April 2021 claim also includes Justice Thomas as funding the buses.

Andrew Kolvet, spokesman for Turning Point USA, told Lead Stories that the Thomases did not personally finance any of the buses sent to the rally. "They didn't pay for anything," Kolvet said. 

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Slate Ginni Thomas, Wife of Clarence, Cheered On the Rally That Turned Into the Capitol Riot
Turning Point USA Turning Point USA
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.