Fact Checking a Claim That Ginni Thomas Was ‘One of the Organizers’ of January 6

There is no evidence to support the claim.

By
28

A viral tweet claims that Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is “one of the organizers” of January 6. 

 

The tweet is also being widely circulated on Facebook. 

However, there is no evidence to support the claim that Thomas is an organizer of January 6. 

The claim dates back to January 2021 when similar rumors alleging that Thomas was involved in the funding of “80 buses” to storm the Capitol began spreading on social media. 

It is possible that Thomas supported the Save America March on January 6, 2021, from which many attendees journeyed to the Capitol, but there is no proof that Thomas was involved in the funding of 80 buses to the Capitol, nor is there evidence to suggest that she is an organizer of January 6. 

Slate staff writer Mark Joseph Stern addressed these claims in a Twitter thread last January. Thomas, in tweets that have since been deleted, expressed her support for the “MAGA crowd.” The original tweets have been saved and screenshotted by Stern:

 

The only evidence we have to suggest that Thomas may have “funded 80 buses for the protest” is a now-deleted January 2021 tweet from conservative activist Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) and its sister organization, Turning Point Action, which describes itself as “accelerating freedom through conservative action.” It’s also worth noting that Turning Point Action acquired the group “Students for Trump” in July 2019.

 Kirk’s original tweet claimed that Students for Trump and Turning Point Action were “sending 80+ buses full of patriots to DC to fight for this president.”

Thomas once served on Turning Point USA’s advisory board, but a spokesperson for Turning Point USA confirmed to The Dispatch Fact Check that Thomas is no longer involved with Turning Point USA and was not involved in January 2021. Thomas is not listed on Turning Point USA’s advisory board or honorary board, per the organization’s website.

Turning Point’s sister organization, Turning Point Action, did provide some travel accommodation* to the “rally portion” on January 6, but a spokesperson claims that “Turning Point USA was not involved in the January 6th event in D.C.”

The spokesperson made the following statement via email in January 2021: “Turning Point USA was not involved in the January 6th event in D.C. Students for Trump, which is run by Turning Point Action, an affiliated 501c4, did sponsor approximately 350 student attendees by providing travel accommodations on seven buses to and from the rally portion to hear from conservative speakers as well as the president. Students for Trump attendees were immediately bused out upon the conclusion of the president’s remarks and did not participate in the march to the Capitol. Turning Point Action leadership condemns political violence and did so immediately upon hearing news of the events at the Capitol.”

As of December 17, 2021, the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol insurrection has subpoenaed many former Trump officials and allies, but Thomas is not listed among them.

*Correction, January 13: The piece initially stated that Turning Point USA provided transportation to some students to attend the rally on the mall. It was actually Turning Point Action.

28
By
Comments (28)
Join The Dispatch to participate in the comments.
 
  1. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    What a weird claim.

    Collapse
  2. Avatar photo
    Show Jay Janney the 🚪!

    Simply stating it is Mark Joseph Stern really is all you need to know. A great drinking game is to read his commentary on SCOTUS decisions to see what key part of the decision he ignores to make his point.

    Collapse
    1. Adam

      Actually, in the linked tweet thread Stern was pushing back on the false claim. But you're correct about his legal analyses. His summary of the OSHA mandate opinions was so bad.

      Collapse
  3. Avatar photo
    CynthiaW

    Caption: Scarf wearing older lady stares at sky, September 29, 2008.

    Collapse
  4. Avatar photo
    Victor Clairmont

    Great, more crazies.

    Just great.

    Collapse
    1. Avatar photo
      Dan

      I don't know... I'm relieved that Ginnie Thomas *was not* one of the conspirators. I don't agree with her politics, but I find myself liking Justice Thomas more and more as I get older (his dissent on Obergefell helped get me through being a caregiver for my stricken wife, as I realized just how important dignity is to maintain against a benignly hostile medical complex) and I would hate to know that the wife of a sitting Supreme Court Justice was actively involved in planning an insurrection.

      Collapse
  5. Richard Kennedy

    I personally am in solidarity with Fair Colas for Slate. That these poor people must drink generic cola is a travesty. Slate should provide their choice of Pepsi, or Coca Cola in its office vending machines. As a compromise, it should provide Mexican (cane sugar recipe) alternatives if the individual intern is willing to make up the price difference. WHO’S WITH ME?

    Collapse
    1. Ingenero.lux

      Generic? Aren’t their machines stocked with Summit Cola? What do they want, Sam’s Cola? Faygo? They think Slate is made of money or something?

      Collapse
    2. Avatar photo
      Bill Nelson

      Diet Mountain Dew.

      Collapse
      1. Avatar photo
        Victor Clairmont

        Abomination!

        Collapse
        1. Avatar photo
          Luke Sherman

          Could be worse, could be Diet Caffeine Free Mountain Dew.

          Collapse
  6. Avatar photo
    Frank Lee

    There is no evidence that Ginni Thomas, a private citizen, was involved in helping organize a political protest that went violent.

    However, there is copious evidence that several Democrat politicians and other political leaders on the left, including the left media, organized and funded many political protests that went violent and supported the violence. https://twitter.com/i/status/1300397571538640901

    A study from Princeton University lists 220 of 570 BLM protests as being violent. https://acleddata.com/acleddatanew/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ACLED_USDataReview_Sum2020_SeptWebPDF.pdf

    House Democrats blocked a resolution condemning the violence and rioting in June 2020.

    So there is that.

    Collapse
    1. Avatar photo
      Idontdocute

      From your USA Data review “ In more than 93% of all demonstrations connected to the movement, demonstrators have not engaged in violence or destructive activity. Peaceful protests are reported in over 2,400 distinct locations around the country. Violent demonstrations, meanwhile, have been limited to fewer than 220 locations ​”.

      It also associated some of the violence that did occur with non BLM provocateurs associated with white supremacy groups or looters that were not BLM but opportunistic thieves.

      https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/airman-charged-killing-federal-officer-during-george-floyd-protests-california-n1231187

      Please do try at least hard enough to actually read your own resource material before you expect us to do it for you…….and check your numbers.

      Collapse
      1. Avatar photo
        Frank Lee

        Indoctrinated by your fake news feed I see. BLM and Antifa "protests" left 30 dead and $2 billion in property damage across the nation.

        This attempt to claim that those "protests" were peaceful is about the most idiotic and disgraceful intellectual dishonesty that anybody can demonstrate given the mountains of video evidence and easy to find actual statistics on what actually happened.

        The 2400 locations included those with 14 people is small communities holding hands and singing "we will resist". The 220 violent locations covered most of the large city protests.

        Collapse
        1. Avatar photo
          Idontdocute

          “Despite the media focus on looting and vandalism, however, there is little evidence to suggest that demonstrators have engaged in widespread violence. In some cases where demonstrations did turn violent, there are reports of ​agents provocateurs ​— or infiltrators ​— instigating the violence. During a demonstration on 27 May in Minneapolis, for example, a man with an umbrella ​— dubbed the ‘umbrella man’ by the media and later identified as a member of the Hells Angels linked to the Aryan Cowboys, a white supremacist prison and street gang ​— ​was seen smashing store windows (​Forbes, 30 May 2020​; ​KSTP, 28 July 2020​). It was one of the first reports of destructive activity that day, and it “created an ​atmosphere of hostility and tension” that helped spark an outbreak of looting following initially peaceful protests, according to police investigators, who believe the man “wanted to sow discord and racial unrest​” (​New York Times, 28 July 2020​). In another example on 29 May in Detroit, a number of non-residents reportedly traveled to the city to engage in violent behavior during a demonstration, leading to multiple arrests (​MLive, 2 June 2020​).“

          This is YOUR listed source…..not MY fake news

          Collapse
          1. Avatar photo
            Frank Lee

            LOL. Maybe it was Ray Epps and the FBI that fanned the flames of violence caused by the poor victims of the left. Those BLM and Antifa dudes with their riot attire, clubs and rocks... they were just misunderstood peaceful people. Maybe you should just head over to the BLM and Antifa sources on the Internet that always called for and justified violence.

            Forbes is not a reliable source. Used to be. No longer.

            Collapse
    2. Avatar photo
      Mink

      But the dems.... Grow up

      Collapse
      1. Avatar photo
        Frank Lee

        I wish the Dems would grow up. They are stuck in their inner child and need someone to kick its little ass.

        Collapse
        1. Mary Stine

          The whole damn country needs to grow up, or at least beyond the age of 2, where normal people begin to realize they are not the center of the universe. I've taught school and run a retail business: too many people are always looking for a scapegoat to avoid responsibility for their own action/inaction. I've seen far too many irresponsible people to limit them to Dems only.
          You want ass-kicking? Really?? Most people couldn't take the heat when Michelle Obama advocated a healthier diet for their children, not their own fat, soda-slurping selves.
          However, if you really want ass-kicking, let me know. I have a long list......

          Collapse
          1. Avatar photo
            Frank Lee

            I generally agree, but my experience is that the people owning a more conservative worldview today also have a stronger work-ethic. They are not averse to doing physical labor... getting their hands dirty. There are exceptions, but the liberal-leaning kids are generally more entitled and self-centered. Believing that they deserve things from others and constantly upset that they are not being provided enough.

            I see this as the adults in their life feeding them this BS that they just need to get a degree from a good institution of higher learning and that they will be instantly high up on the hierarchy of respectable people. Meanwhile not only do they not understand the world due to lack of life experience, their campus experience has made them less able to understand the world.

            But I do agree that people in general have terrible eating habits. The different I see is that conservatives own up to it and generally accept being called fat.

            Liberals are today attempting to pull obesity into their woke victim speech code restrictions. Actually canceling words that make fat people feel shamed about their bodies.

            Collapse