- Several friends of Clarence Thomas helped finance a documentary on the justice.
- Thomas' backers wanted to present a different narrative than what was in HBO's "Confirmation."
In 2016, the HBO film "Confirmation" chronicled Clarence Thomas' contentious 1991 Supreme Court nomination hearings, where the allegations that he sexually assaulted law professor Anita Hill played out in the public sphere.
Thomas vehemently denied the allegations and was confirmed to the Supreme Court in a close 52-48 vote.
In "Confirmation," the actress Kerry Washington, who rose to prominence as Olivia Pope on the ABC drama "Scandal," played Hill. The actor Wendell Pierce, best known for his role as Detective William "Bunk" Moreland on HBO's "The Wire," played Thomas.
Many of Thomas' supporters — who never stopped rallying behind Thomas after the hearings and remained staunch defenders of his conservative judicial record on the high court — then worked to finance a film that would explore the judge's personal background and career trajectory from his perspective.
That film, "Created Equal: Clarence Thomas In His Own Words," was released in 2020.
The financial backers to the documentary included business executive David Sokol and the industrialist Dennis Washington, who are members of the elite Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans alongside Thomas, according to The New York Times.
Sokol has vacationed with Justice Thomas and his wife, conservative activist Ginni Thomas, over the last few years, the Times reported.
Once seen as the successor to the billionaire Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway, Sokol strongly defended Thomas after "Confirmation" was released. While speaking during an appearance at a Connecticut library, he once remarked that Thomas had dealt with "lies, innuendo, distortions, and outright personal attacks" throughout the Supreme Court confirmation process.
When asked about Thomas' role in the exclusive Horatio Alger Association, Sokol, in a conversation with The Times, described Thomas as "a national treasure and a genuine example of the existence of the American dream."
"I am a much better person because of our friendship," Sokol added.