Justice Thomas Gift Fight Sets Up Test of Storied Senate Power

Harlan Crow, the conservative billionaire who bestowed luxurious trips and private real estate deals on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his family, is signaling a will to do what auto-industry chieftains and Wall Street titans dared not: defy a Senate subpoena.

A subpoena hasn’t yet been issued, but the developing clash is setting up a test of a politically polarized Senate’s ability to wield one of its most powerful investigative tools. And it’s further evidence of the limits of Congress’ ability to pry loose information.

Crow’s emerging stance echoes the refusal of several allies of Donald Trump to ...