grammar - I have never thought he was/is a thief


"I have never thought he was a thief"


"I have never thought he is a thief."


Why do we use past tense "was a thief" instead of present "is a thief"?


[Edit - We would expect tense matching between 'have' and 'is'-- both are present tense. Yet the idiom is to use 'was' -- chasly]


Thank you!




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