Joshua Kaplan
I’m a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter at ProPublica, where I write about the government, money and power.
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What I Cover
I cover powerful institutions and the people who are seeking to influence them, with a focus on the federal government. I’m drawn to topics where I believe that in-depth, nuanced reporting has the potential to reshape the public’s understanding and to lead to meaningful change.
In recent years, I’ve reported on issues ranging from ethics questions at the Supreme Court to the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
My Background
I’ve been a reporter at ProPublica since 2020.
In 2023, my colleagues and I revealed how a set of billionaires secretly provided decades of lavish gifts and luxury travel to Supreme Court justices. Those stories won the Pulitzer Prize for public service and helped prompt the Supreme Court to adopt its first-ever code of conduct. I have also reported on the military and the U.S. State Department, the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and misconduct by undercover police officers, among other subjects.
In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, my work has received national honors including two George Polk Awards, the Selden Ring Award, an Investigative Reporters and Editors medal and an Edward R. Murrow Award. I hold a degree in mathematics from the University of Chicago.
You can reach me via email at [email protected] or by phone, Signal or WhatsApp at 734-834-9383.
Clarence Thomas Friend Acknowledges Harlan Crow Paid Child’s Tuition
In response to ProPublica reporting, the friend said Crow covered two years of schooling for the teen, which would amount to roughly $100,000 of undisclosed gifts.
by Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan, Alex Mierjeski and Brett Murphy,
Clarence Thomas Had a Child in Private School. Harlan Crow Paid the Tuition.
Crow paid for private school for a relative Thomas said he was raising “as a son.” “This is way outside the norm,” said a former White House ethics lawyer.
by Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski,
Billionaire Harlan Crow Bought Property From Clarence Thomas. The Justice Didn’t Disclose the Deal.
The transaction is the first known instance of money flowing from Crow to the Supreme Court justice. The sale netted the GOP megadonor two vacant lots and the house where Thomas’ mother was living.
by Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski,
Congress Members Announce Hearing, Demand Chief Justice Investigate Clarence Thomas’ Trips
The lawmakers said the chief justice was duty-bound to conduct a “swift, thorough, independent and transparent investigation” of Thomas’ undisclosed travel with billionaire Harlan Crow in order to “safeguard public faith in the judiciary.”
by Alex Mierjeski, Joshua Kaplan and Justin Elliott,
Clarence Thomas Defends Undisclosed “Family Trips” With GOP Megadonor. Here Are the Facts.
In response to a ProPublica report, Thomas explained why he did not disclose lavish travel provided by billionaire Harlan Crow. But legal experts maintain the justice was required to make these disclosures.
by Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski,
Lawmakers Call for Investigation and Ethics Reforms in Response to ProPublica Report on Clarence Thomas
Influential Democratic legislators are pushing for changes at the Supreme Court and a probe into Thomas’ undisclosed luxury trips provided by powerful conservative donor Harlan Crow.
by Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski,
They Were Trying to Help Run Elections. Then They Got Criminally Investigated.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton hasn’t just been pursuing supposed voter fraud. His office has also criminally investigated at least 10 election workers, in a harbinger of potential post-midterm turmoil.
by Cassandra Jaramillo and Joshua Kaplan,
How Ron DeSantis Blew Up Black-Held Congressional Districts and May Have Broken Florida Law
DeSantis’ move, secretly aided by GOP-linked national operatives, came over the objections of the Republican-controlled state legislature.
by Joshua Kaplan,
How the U.S. Has Struggled to Stop the Growth of a Shadowy Russian Private Army
Vladimir Putin has increasingly relied on the Wagner Group, a private and unaccountable army with a history of human rights violations, to pursue Russia’s foreign policy objectives across the globe.
by Joaquin Sapien and Joshua Kaplan,
House Committee Issues Subpoena to Top Trump Fundraiser Kimberly Guilfoyle
Guilfoyle, fiancee of Donald Trump Jr., boasted in text messages that she raised $3 million for the Jan. 6 rally. The demand for legal documents and a deposition is the first for a member of the Trump family’s inner circle.
by Joaquin Sapien and Joshua Kaplan,