Virginia “Ginni” Thomas— the wife of Supreme Court JusticeClarence Thomas— is speaking out about being present at the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C., which preceded the insurrection at the Capitol.
In a new interview withThe Washington Free Beacon, Ginni, 65, said she attended the rally on the morning of Jan. 6, but left before then-PresidentDonald Trumpaddressed the crowd.
“I was disappointed and frustrated that there was violence that happened following a peaceful gathering of Trump supporters on the Ellipse on Jan. 6,” she said.
Ginni, a noted conservative activist and attorney, also insisted she “played no role with those who were planningand leading the Jan. 6 events.”
The Supreme Court did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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“There are stories in the press suggesting I paid or arranged for buses. I did not. There are other stories saying I mediated feuding factions of leaders for that day. I did not,” she told theFree Beacon.
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Ginni also said of herself and her husband, 73, “Like so many married couples, we share many of the same ideals, principles, and aspirations for America.”
“But we haveour own separate careers, and our own ideas and opinions too. Clarence doesn’t discuss his work with me, and I don’t involve him in my work,” she added.
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Ginni previously apologized in an email to Justice Thomas' former law clerks after making pro-Trump statements before thedeadly U.S. Capitol riot, writing, “I have likely imposed on you my lifetime passions.”
“My passions and beliefs are likely shared with the bulk of you, but certainly not all,” she wrote last year, according toThe Washington PostandThe New York Times. “And sometimes the smallest matters can divide loved ones for too long. Let’s pledge to not let politics divide THIS family, and learn to speak more gently and knowingly across the divide.”
On the morning of Jan. 6, before the pro-Trump riot unfolded, Ginni encouraged her Facebook followers to watch the day’s planned demonstrations on conservative networks.
“LOVE MAGA people!!!!” she wrote, according to thePost.
“GOD BLESS EACH OF YOU STANDING UP or PRAYING,” she reportedly wrote before the throng of supporters descended into mob violence at the Capitol. (Spokespeople for the Supreme Court did not respond to a request for comment at the time.)
source: people.com
