“Comparing it to Snowden, I’d say the offense is worse,” Johnson told The Huffington Post.
Johnson, who is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said Snowden was wrong to leak top-secret materials to the media but was also “mistaken” in thinking that NSA’s activities were illegal. By contrast, Thomas, who is black, is “legally aware of the consequences” to the black community of striking down a core piece of the Voting Rights Act, Johnson said, yet he did it anyway.
“He consciously repeats those same steps over and over again to the detriment of the African-American community,” Johnson said of Thomas’ conservative voting record.
