Clarence Thomas owes it to America to address Ginni Thomas' balmy conspiratorial beliefs

It has appeared for some time that Ginni Thomas, the conservative activist and wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, swims in the shallow end of the reality pool.

After the 2020 presidential election, she texted this to then-President Donald Trump’s chief of staff: “Biden crime family & ballot fraud co-conspirators (elected officials, bureaucrats, social media censorship mongers, fake stream media reporters, etc) are being arrested & detained for ballot fraud right now & over coming days, & will be living in barges off GITMO to face military tribunals for sedition.”

Ooooookay. That’s enough to make anyone get up and slowly walk away, careful not to make any sudden moves.

Ginni Thomas clearly believes the conspiracy theories she touts

Of course a lot of people these days toss around baseless conspiracy theories for clicks or money or attention, so it was fair to wonder if Thomas’ prattle was all for show. Turns out it’s not.

Following Thomas’ closed-door interview before the Jan. 6 committee Thursday, we learned her conspiratorial rhetoric reflects true beliefs. Committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson said afterward that Thomas had again stated her conviction the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump.

She wasn’t under oath during the interview, but making “any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement” to Congress is a crime, so she clearly believes what she says she believes.

Why should we care? Because her husband sits on the highest court in the land and, for all we know, might consider his wife's thinking reasonable.

If this is what she believes, what about Clarence Thomas?

For those who haven’t heard, the 2020 presidential election was in no way, shape or form stolen. Joe Biden is the legitimate president of the United States, and there has been zero proof of widespread voter fraud, despite relentless attempts by Trump and many of his supporters to market that idea. Anyone telling you the election was illegitimate is living a sad, hopeless delusion.

This brings us back to Ginni Thomas, who matters because her husband is a person of enormous power in this country on a court that hears cases that can have sweeping impacts on elections. What does Clarence Thomas believe? And could those beliefs impact his decision-making on upcoming cases, like one slated for next year that could give state legislatures much greater control over election procedures?

Americans have a right to know

It seems the American people have a right to know whether one of the nine justices on the Supreme Court has both oars firmly in the water.

Does Clarence Thomas think the election was stolen? Does he, for example, believe this QAnon-inspired conspiracy theory his wife texted to Trump’s then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows: “Watermarked ballots in over 12 states have been part of a huge Trump & military white hat sting operation in 12 key battleground states.”

Does he believe in Bigfoot? Does he think Democrats run a global child sex trafficking ring? Does he think the moon is made of cheese?

The 'end of Liberty' and a vast communist conspiracy?

We deserve to know to what degree the beliefs of Thomas and his wife align. Because Ginni Thomas is not just a person with quirky political views. She holds ludicrous beliefs that are dangerously unhinged.

In her texts to Meadows, she called Biden’s election the “end of Liberty” and said “This war is psychological. PSYOP.” She suggested the election was somehow hijacked via a communist conspiracy involving Venezuela, Cuba and possibly China.

This is not normal stuff, and we shouldn't pretend it is

The technical word for all this is: Yikes!

And while Ginni Thomas has promised she and her husband don’t talk about their “work,” it’s relevant that in February 2021, Clarence Thomas was the lone dissenting voice when the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s attempt to block the release of White House records relating to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Thomas shouldn’t come within a mile of any case involving Trump, the 2020 election or the Jan. 6 insurrection. With a wife proudly and confidently telling members of Congress the 2020 election was stolen, he shouldn’t reasonably come within a mile of the Supreme Court.

Time for Clarence Thomas to address his wife's disturbing beliefs

It’s easy to ignore rabid conspiracy theorists when they’re online or on your television. But living with one? That kind of thinking is bound to go airborne, and it’s contagious.

Justice Thomas, known for rarely speaking from the bench, needs to stand up and answer some questions about his wife’s balmy beliefs.

Otherwise Americans are going to assume he shares them.

More from Rex Huppke:

If the GOP is ready to rebrand, here are my ideas for a post-MAGA party.

Amid teacher shortage, folks who called them 'groomers' should say sorry. Here's how.

Quiet quitting is all the rage. But let's not stop there. How about 'quiet dieting'?

Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Twitter @RexHuppke and Facebook: facebook.com/RexIsAJerk

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ginni Thomas tells Jan. 6 committee she believes election was stolen