When his form was released to the public, Justice Thomas included an unusual addendum, a statement defending his acceptance of gifts from Harlan Crow, a real estate magnate in Texas and a donor to conservative causes. He had “inadvertently omitted” information on earlier forms, the statement said, which also sought to justify his decision to fly on private jets. He stated that he had been advised to avoid commercial travel after the leak of the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.

So saying he has “acknowledged” them is being very generous. He’s still making excuses and not taking responsibility for breaking the rules.

Including the advise about avoiding commercial travel after the Dobbs draft leaked is a non sequitur I’m having a really hard time not interpreting as a dog whistle to a political audience. Sure, avoid commercial travel, but include the gift of travel in your documentation. Why bring up Dobbs except to hint that he believes he’s being persecuted for doing his job, despite the fact that the binding, precedent-setting opinion has no legal basis at all. That’s not my conclusion, because my personal conclusion would be garbage since I’m not an expert. That’s the conclusion of countless legal experts and the dissenting justices.

But sure, you were so rattled by this unprecedented persecution of a sitting justice that you “inadvertently” omitted huge gifts from conflicts of interest in your disclosure forms. You still did it, so take responsibility.