‘I will own up to that mistake’: Rep. Jim Clyburn regrets backing Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court
TheGrio...
The South Carolina Democrat testified in support of Thomas during his contentious 1991 confirmation hearings.
More than three decades after helping advocate for Clarence Thomas’ confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court, Rep. Jim Clyburn says he now considers that support a mistake. The South Carolina Democrat says he did not anticipate how Thomas would ultimately approach his conservative judicial role or distance himself from aspects of his background.
Rep. Jim Clyburn is publicly revisiting his support for Clarence Thomas during the Supreme Court justice’s confirmation hearings in 1991. Speaking to NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday, Clyburn said that he was wrong to back Thomas more than three decades ago.
“I have made mistakes in my life, and that’s one that I made, and I will own up to that mistake,” Clyburn shared.
The admission carries significant weight. In 1991, he appeared before senators to testify in favor of Thomas, whom he described at the time as a close personal and professional friend. Clyburn recalled that he had known Thomas for about 10 years and supported him despite Thomas’ conservative Republican philosophy.
Looking back from 2026, Clyburn says he did not foresee the direction Thomas’ judicial career would take.
“I had no idea that Clarence Thomas would rebel the way he has against his own background and experiences,” Clyburn said.
Thomas was nominated by President George H.W. Bush and confirmed to the Supreme Court in 1991. He has since become one of the Court’s most consistently conservative justices. For Clyburn, this is an acknowledgment that the person he supported in 1991 and the judge that Thomas ultimately became did not align with what he had expected.
Clyburn further expressed support for expanding the Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices. He argued that Congress should take “significant actions” in response to the current political and constitutional landscape