Harlan Crow Defies Democrats' Probe into Ties with Clarence Thomas.

Harlan Crow, a real-estate billionaire and GOP megadonor, is refusing to cooperate with a Senate Judiciary Committee probe into his relationship with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and pattern of expensive gifts. Crow's lawyer argued that the panel did not have the authority to investigate his personal friendship with Thomas. Senate Democrats have accused Crow of targeting Justice Thomas for special and unwarranted opprobrium. Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin pledged to continue pressing for a substantive response to their information requests to help restore trust in the Supreme Court.