I saw this on twitter and it was really funny/bizarre to see how many blue check marks were going “wow… hope this MR OLIVER enjoys going to jail for BRIBERY” and like, making threats of ‘reporting him’, quoting legal statutes.
It’s just so goofy, like comically dumb. Aside from “obviously a joke” points, who are the big Clarence Thomas defenders??? Do people really just make their opinions based on “well, liberals don’t like him… which means he must be good!!”
Half of the schtick John Oliver is making is pointing out the absurdity of his offer being legal. The fact that people are reporting him just shows how they think there should be laws against paying off a Supreme Court judge, which is the exact point being made in the segment.
It's totally legal. He's not offering to pay Thomas to change his rulings or rule in his favor. It's so he resigns. Closer to an early retirement offer.
If the highest court in the land can be paid to go away, they shouldn't have been justices because they were in it for the money. It also says damning things about our society and how money can trump extreme satisfaction at your job.
So... John would be bribing Thomas to NOT be a supreme court justice...? What... what do they imagine the penalty for that would be?
I get that most of these people aren't rational, but I'm struggling to even imagine what the mental gymnastics on this look like. Is there some penalty for bribing someone who is not a public official?