"The information that we have now raises questions about how close Justice Thomas was to the insurrection: I think he should recuse himself," Schumer told a Capitol Hill press conference. "There's enough evidence already that he should recuse himself."
Schumer was speaking after US media reported texts from Thomas's wife, Virginia calling on then-President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows to try to overturn current President Joe Biden’s victory in the November 2020 national election.
These reports have raised "[a] serious question about how close Justice Thomas and his wife were to the planning and execution of the January 6 insurrection," Schumer said.
Early on Tuesday, 24 Democrats in Congress led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Pramila Jayapal demanded that Thomas, who has sat on the Court for 35 years, recuse himself from future cases related to efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The 24 Democrats also called upon Chief Justice John Roberts to new binding and enforceable Code of Ethics for the Supreme Court. Schumer added that he was also in favor of implementing such a code. When asked if he believed there should be a Code of Ethics for Supreme Court Justices, the senator replied, "Yes, I do."