Weigel

Amy Gardner confirms it :

Virginia Thomas, political activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has decided to relinquish control of Liberty Central, the conservative group she founded less than a year ago, so that the organization can escape the "distractions" of her media celebrity, a spokeswoman said.

Thomas's celebrity and connections, of course, made Liberty Central a force from the get-go; Tea Party activists defended her and invited her to high-profile events in part out of disgust with how the media asked about the prudence of a Supreme Court justice's wife working as a conservative activist. It was only when Thomas stumbled into re-igniting the Anita Hill story -- something kicked off, it appears, by the knowledge that more dirt was going to come out about that story -- that this really became an issue.

Gardner reports that Liberty Central is merging with the Patrick Henry Center ; funny enough, the Center now features a picture of Thomas, decked out in a Liberty Central foam crown, talking to radio host Neil Boortz.

UPDATE: The response from CRC Public Relations's Keith Appell, speaking for Thomas:

That conversation was off the record and Amy Gardner breached confidentiality.