A video posted on X shows Maryland House Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin discussing a $50 gift ban bill he and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have proposed for Supreme Court justices. In the clip, Raskin states that members of Congress face a strict $50 limit and cannot accept items beyond something like a baseball cap, while criticizing reported gifts to Justice Clarence Thomas, including a recreational vehicle and private school tuition.
Online users reacted after the post, with many comments pointing to past ethics questions involving Ocasio-Cortez’s Met Gala attendance and questioning the accuracy of Raskin’s description of congressional rules.
In the footage, an interviewer asks Raskin about Supreme Court reforms. He replies, “Well, AOC and I have a $50 gift ban bill which has been on the back burner for years under the Republicans,” and says members of Congress “can’t accept anything much more than a baseball cap” and “just don’t take gifts.”
He contrasts this with the Supreme Court, stating justices are “collecting hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in so-called gifts,” including, in Justice Thomas’s case, “a $400,000 recreational vehicle” and private school tuition for a great-nephew. He calls these “outrageous things” that “Members of Congress would go to jail for,” and argues the $50 ban “must apply to people in the judiciary, in the Supreme Court.”
The comments refer to the High Court Gift Ban Act, co-sponsored by Raskin and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, which would limit gifts to justices to $50 per instance or $100 annually. Public reporting has documented luxury travel, a motor coach, and tuition payments linked to Justice Thomas. House rules and a general $50 gift limit, with longstanding exceptions the video does not address.
Responses to the Video of Maryland Ranking Member Jamie Raskin’s Comments
Some commenters focused on the disparity Raskin described and on Justice Thomas specifically. One wrote, “Clarence Thomas has amassed more gifts than the rest of the Supreme Court justices combined by 20-fold. He has been grifting off his position for decades.”
Others questioned whether members of Congress themselves observe the limits Raskin described. One replied, “The two most corrupt people in Congress want to tell SCOTUS to not be corrupt.”
Another stated, “OMG, AOC got a free ticket to the Met Gala worth about thirty thousand. They ALL break the rules when it comes to gifts; look into expense accounts; it is insane what they all get away with.”
A further comment read, “I think the last thing you want to try to tell us is how honest and above board you guys are when it comes to finances. What a joke.”
Additional replies asked about other high-value items, such as “Did the value of the Qatar jet come in just under $50?” and observed that “Y’all crazy if you believe Congress isn’t taking bribes too lol.”
The clip adds one more exchange to the ongoing discussion over ethics rules for Supreme Court justices and members of Congress. It remains unclear whether the remarks will lead to further legislative action beyond the online responses already underway.
