Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Wednesday to reward Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito for refusing to recuse himself from a pair of upcoming instances regarding January 6, regardless of the flags related to the “Stop the Steal” effort that had been actually flying outdoors of the justice’s houses.
“Congratulations to United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for showing the INTELLIGENCE, COURAGE, and ‘GUTS’ to refuse stepping aside from making a decision on anything January 6th related,” Trump wrote on the social community he based after being kicked off Twitter for inciting a violent riot. “All U.S. Judges, Justices, and Leaders should have such GRIT – Our Country would be far more advanced than its current status as A BADLY FAILING NATION, headed by the Worst President in American History, Crooked Joe Biden!”
Trump’s reward for Alito got here shortly after the conservative justice despatched a letter to senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Dick Durbin explaining that the rationale he wouldn’t be stepping down from two instances associated to January 6 is as a result of the flags positioned outdoors his Virginia dwelling and New Jersey seaside home—each of which had been embraced by individuals who stormed the Capitol in 2021—had been put their by his spouse. Of the previous, Alito eye-rollingly wrote: “As soon as I saw it, I asked my wife to take it down, but for several days, she refused.” He added that his spouse “has the legal right to use the property as she sees fit, and there were no additional steps that I could have taken to have the flag taken down more promptly.” Elsewhere within the letter, the justice mentioned: “My wife is fond of flying flags. I am not. My wife was solely responsible for having flagpoles put up at our residence and our vacation home and has flown a wide variety of flags over the years.” (He didn’t tackle a report from The New York Times that Mrs. Alito allegedly spit at an anti-Trump neighbor’s automotive on Inauguration Day 2021.)
The extremely political flags are, after all, removed from the one purpose we all know Alito is comically biased towards Trump. Last month, throughout oral arguments for and in opposition to Trump’s claims of absolute presidential immunity, the conservative justice steered that, with a view to shield democracy, presidents have to be allowed to commit federal crimes with out concern of penalties. So yeah, it’s not shocking that the ex-president is thrilled Alito will likely be weighing in on his destiny.