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Who is Harlan Crow?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_Crow
1949 (age 73–74) Dallas, Texas, U.S. Education Emory University University of Texas, Austin (BA) Occupation Real estate developer Political party Republican Spouse(s) Mollie Allen Katherine Raymond Children 3 Parent Trammell Crow (father) Relatives Stuart Crow (brother)
Harlan Rogers Crow (born 1949) is an American real estate developer. Born in Dallas, Texas, he is the chairman (and former CEO) of Crow Holdings, which was founded by his father, Trammell Crow. He is a leading donor to Republican and conservative causes.Crow became the subject of controversy in 2023 relating to his gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Political activities He is a member of the founding committee of the 501(c)4 organization Club for Growth, and has served on the board of the American Enterprise Institute since 1996.[5][6][7] He has donated almost $5 million to Republican campaigns and conservative groups. Crow is a member of the all-male Bohemian Club, and as early as 1997 he had hosted Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as a guest at the group's annual Bohemian Grove summer gathering,[8][9] having met Thomas in the mid-1990s.[3] He is also a friend and former business partner of the publisher Wick Allison.[10]
Crow donated $500,000 toward publicity campaigns for President George W. Bush's nominees for the Supreme Court.[3] In 2009, Crow mounted an unsuccessful multimillion-dollar campaign to block the establishment of a publicly owned convention hotel in Dallas.[11] According to Politico, that same year, he provided $500,000 to Liberty Central, which was established by Virginia Thomas, the wife of Justice Thomas.[12] Crow declined to comment on whether he was the anonymous donor in question, telling The New York Times, "I don't disclose what I'm not required to disclose."[13]
Undisclosed gifts allegations
In 2023, ProPublica reported that Crow has given several gifts to Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, including a $19,000 Bible that belonged to Frederick Douglass. Crow gave Thomas a portrait of the justice and his wife, according to the painter, Sharif Tarabay. Tax filings show that Crow's foundation also gave $105,000 to the Yale Law School, Thomas's alma mater, for the "Justice Thomas Portrait Fund". Justice Thomas has accepted numerous week-long luxury trips, including island-hopping on Crow's superyacht, international and domestic private jet travel, and private resort stays.[14]
Under rules that went into effect on March 14, 2023, justices must disclose many forms of gifts they receive; but exceptions exist if a gift of food, lodging, or entertainment is deemed "personal in nature" and the hospitality has been directly offered by an individual who has a personal relationship to the government official in question.[15] The new rules do however require disclosure of stays at commercial properties as well as private jet travel.[16]
Legal experts cited by ProPublica say that Thomas did not disclose the gifts, violating a financial disclosure law and ethical norms for judges.[14][17] According to Crow, he has "never sought to influence Justice Thomas on any legal or political issue".[3] Democratic lawmakers reacted to the revelations by demanding Thomas' resignation and calling for an investigation.[16]On April 13, 2023, ProPublica reported that Crow had quietly paid Thomas for property occupied by Thomas's mother's home, despite law requiring disclosure of property sales by public officials.[18]Crow said he bought the property with the intent of later turning the home into a public museum dedicated to Thomas. Allegations have risen that Crow has been "subsidizing the lifestyle of Thomas and his wife" as Thomas continued to support conservative causes on the Supreme Court.[19]
Art and memorabilia collections'Crow's Dallas residence is home to an extensive collection of Nazi memorabilia, including two paintings by Adolf Hitler and a signed copy of Mein Kampf.[20][21][22]
Crow's backyard garden is home to at least 20 statues of authoritarian leaders and Communist icons, including Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro, Mao Zedong, Karl Marx, Hosni Mubarak, Josip Broz Tito, Nicolae Ceausescu, Walter Ulbricht, Gavrilo Princip, Bela Kun, and Che Guevara.[23][24][25] Crow acquired these former public monuments after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc.[26] According to Crow, he collects such memorabilia because he "hates communism and fascism".