Claremont Institute and Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence
The Claremont Institute is an “anti-democracy think tank” that defended and supported Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Its activities are fueled by its major funder and board chair Thomas Klingenstein, a right-wing financier. Claremont has close ties to far-right members of the Supreme Court: in 2017, Justice Samuel Alito participated in a Claremont Institute fundraising event, where he was honored with a “Statesmanship Award.”
John Eastman
Former Clarence Thomas clerk John Eastman is Founding Director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, Claremont’s litigation arm. Eastman played a central role in Trump’s failed attempts to overturn the 2020 election, including spreading claims of election fraud at Trump’s Ellipse rally on the morning of January 6th, 2021. He has been criminally indicted in Georgia and is facing disbarment proceedings in California for his alleged involvement in Trump’s election subversion scheme.
Michael Pack Michael Pack, a Claremont Institute Senior Fellow who previously served as president of the organization, worked with Clarence Thomas and longtime Thomas consigliere Mark Paoletta to produce a film and book promoting Thomas. Pack also published a May 2023 op-ed in the Washington Examiner attacking ProPublica’s reporting on Thomas’ ethics conflicts.
