Justice's wife to quit conservative group

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Virginia Thomas, wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, will cede control of a conservative political group she founded, a spokeswoman said.

Caitlin Carroll, an Alexandria, Va., public relations specialist, confirmed Monday Virginia Thomas will relinquish control of Liberty Central, which she founded in May, The Washington Post reported.

"She'll take a back seat so that Liberty Central can continue with its mission without any of the distractions," Carroll said.

A Liberty Central memo bearing Virginia Thomas's name called the Affordable Care Act, passed and signed into law this year, unconstitutional, calling into question the matter of her political activism as it relates to her husband's position on the Supreme Court, the Post said.

The New York Times ran an item last month suggesting Virginia Thomas's high-profile with an organization that has received anonymous donations, including one of $500,000 and another of $50,000, could introduce conflict-of-interest issues.

Citing a source it said was not authorized to speak publicly about details of the matter, the newspaper reported Liberty Central will merge with another conservative organization, the Patrick Henry Institute, based in Manassas, Va. That organization was founded by former FBI agent Gary Aldrich, best known for having written a behind-the-scenes account of the Clinton White House.

However, Sarah Field, chief operating officer and general counsel for Liberty Central, told the Post in an e-mail "there is no agreement at this time" for the organizations to merge.