Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden has called on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to disclose whether he declared over a quarter-million dollars of loan forgiveness on his tax filings. Wyden released a report that details a loan Thomas received in 1999 from a friend, Anthony Welters, to buy a luxury motor coach. The report claims that the loan was declared settled in 2008 without Thomas repaying the principal, and that he did not report the forgiven debt on his ethics forms. Federal ethics law requires public officials, including Supreme Court justices, to disclose their liabilities in order to assess potential conflicts of interest.

The report raises tax questions for Thomas, as failing to repay the entire principal of the loan could have generated taxable income. Thomas has not provided information on loan payments made or stated whether he properly reported the forgiven debt on his tax returns. Wyden has directed the committee to share its findings with the Judiciary Committee to evaluate the ethics implications. Thomas and the Supreme Court have not yet commented on the matter.