has finally responded to concerns about his ability to remain impartial in cases related to efforts to subvert the 2020 election. His answer is a firm refusal to recuse himself. associated with the 2020 “Stop the Steal” movement, which falsely holds that widespread election fraud had robbed former President Donald Trump of a second term.
“As I have stated publicly, I had nothing whatsoever to do with the flying of that flag,” Alito wrote of reports and photos showing an upside-down American flag flying outside of his Virginia home after the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. “I was not even aware of the upside-down flag until it was called to my attention. As soon as I saw it, I asked my wife to take it down, but for several days, she refused.
Alito also blamed his wife for an “Appeal to Heaven” flag flying outside of the couple’s vacation home. The flag is associated with a militant arm of the Christian nationalist movement and was adopted by many rioters on Jan. 6. “My wife is fond of flying flags. I am not,” Alito wrote. “I was not familiar with the ‘Appeal to Heaven’ flag when my wife flew it. She may have mentioned that it dates back to the American Revolution, and I assumed she was flying it to express a religious and patriotic message. I was not aware of any connection between this historic flag and the ‘Stop the Steal Movement,’ and neither was my wife.