U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas dismisses lavish gifts reports as lies

WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who has found himself under scrutiny over his judicial decisions and accepting lavish gifts from a billionaire Republican, is dismissing the criticism as "nastiness" and "lies," according to U.S. media.

"There's certainly been a lot of negativity in our lives, my wife and I, over the last few years, but we choose not to focus on it," the New York Times quoted Thomas as saying Friday at a judicial conference in the southern U.S. state of Alabama.