WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� is rejecting calls to step aside from cases involving former President Donald Trump and Jan. 6 defendants because of the controversy over flags that flew over his homes.
In letters to members of Congress on Wednesday, Alito said his wife was responsible for flying an upside-down flag over his home in 2021 and an 鈥淎ppeal to Heaven鈥� flag at his New Jersey beach house last year.
Neither incident merits his recusal, he wrote.
鈥淚 am therefore duty-bound to reject your recusal request,鈥� he wrote.
The court is considering two major cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by on the Capitol, including charges faced by the rioters and whether Trump has immunity from prosecution on election interference charges.
Alito has from Democrats in the past to recuse on other issues.
The New York Times reported that an inverted American flag at Alito鈥檚 home in Alexandria, Virginia, less than two weeks after the attack on the Capitol. The paper also reported that an flag was flown outside of the justice鈥檚 beach home in New Jersey last summer. Both flags were carried by rioters who violently stormed the Capitol in January 2021 echoing Trump鈥檚 false claims of election fraud.
Alito said he was unaware that the upside-down flag was flying above his house until it was called to his attention. 鈥淎s soon as I saw it, I asked my wife to take it down, but for several days, she refused,鈥� he wrote in nearly identical letters to Democrats in the House and Senate.
The Associated Press
