Senate Finance Chairman Presses GOP Megadonor for Answers on Financial Ties with Clarence Thomas

(CNN) Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden is pushing back against claims by GOP mega-donor Harlan Crow that the panel lacks authority to request his personal tax information and travel records as part of an investigation into whether hospitality he provided to Justice Clarence Thomas could have sparked violations of United States tax law.

In a letter sent Wednesday to Crow’s attorney, the Oregon Democrat asked the Texas billionaire’s team to provide a series of documents to the committee by June 2. Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee met earlier this week and discussed issuing a subpoena if Crow does not comply with the requests, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

Crow, who paid for luxury trips for Thomas, declined earlier this month to answer questions raised by Wyden about whether the hospitality Crow provided Thomas or a 2014 private real estate transaction with Thomas’ family could have triggered violations of U.S. tax law.

Wyden has argued that he needs the information to look at changes to the state’s gift tax.

“I believe that tax laws that affect huge gifts and transfers of wealth by high net worth individuals are in urgent need of reform. I also believe that congressional oversight, when appropriate, should be conducted in a way that informs the public about the political implications of conduct under investigation,” Wyden wrote in the letter to Crow’s attorney on Wednesday.

Wyden contested a claim by Crow’s attorney that the senator lacks a legitimate legislative purpose for his request and doubled down on his request for Crow to provide information, including a “detailed” list of flights Thomas has taken on “every private jet under Mr. Crow’s ownership or control”; any reimbursement made by Thomas for his travel; an account of all the times Thomas traveled or was a guest on Crow’s yacht; and a “detailed accounting of federal gift tax returns.”

Wyden has raised the possibility that the hospitality may have required disclosure on federal tax filings, which generally require taxpayers to report gifts that exceed a certain amount. The letter also indicated an interest in investigating whether the trip was listed on the tax register as a business expense.

Wyden has raised the possibility that the hospitality may have required disclosure of federal filings, which generally require taxpayers to report gifts that exceed a certain amount. The letter also indicated an interest in investigating whether the trip was listed on the tax register as a business expense.

“We have serious concerns about the scope and authority of this investigation,” Michael Bopp, an attorney for Crow, said in a letter to Wyden earlier this month.

“Given the timing and focus of the letter, this investigation appears to be part of a broader campaign against Justice Thomas and now Mr. Crow, rather than an investigation that furthers a valid legislative purpose,” Bopp wrote.

A source close to Thomas previously told CNN that the judge plans to amend his disclosure forms to reflect the real estate transaction, which also went unreported.

CNN’s Ariane de Vogue contributed to this report.