All-Hands-on-Deck Coordinated Attack on Alito Flags Meant to Distract From Biden’s Failures
“And we will, if and when we win back the House and the Senate and the White House. We will look at the Supreme Court and figure out what can be done about that extremely corrupted and contaminated body.”
If you ever wondered what an all-hands-on-deck, full-scale, seemingly coordinated attack on an American institution looked like, look no further than the Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito flag “controversy” and all the players involved in promoting the story and fearmongering about it.
It’s got media involvement, with the Washington Post adding itself to the list with an admission that they knew about the Alito upside-down flag incident for over three years but sat on the story:
The Washington Post reveals they actually already discovered in Jan 2021 the Alito flag story was fake and chose not report it after they determined it was part of a neighborhood dispute not rooted in politics. It's a good thing we didn't let this all get out of hand! pic.twitter.com/B5i5fBxCUT
— Philip Letsou (@philipletsou) May 25, 2024
It’s also got involvement from left-wing special interest groups and involvement from so-called “independent” investigative organizations who just so happen to be funded in part by wealthy leftist donors. And, of course, it’s got involvement from powerful Democrats in Congress.
Two of them are, surprise surprise, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Sen. Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), both of whom sent a letter Friday to Chief Justice John Roberts demanding a meeting with him in hopes of getting him to force the “recusal” issue with Alito:
“By displaying the upside-down and ‘Appeal to Heaven’ flags outside his homes, Justice Alito actively engaged in political activity, failed to avoid the appearance of impropriety, and failed to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary. He also created reasonable doubt about his impartiality and his ability to fairly discharge his duties in cases related to the 2020 presidential election and January 6th attack on the Capitol. His recusal in these matters is both necessary and required,” wrote Whitehouse and Durbin.
[…]
“For centuries, Supreme Court justices conducted themselves in such a way that the absence of proper procedures consistent with these principles was a moot failing. That is no longer true. The Court’s Code of Conduct has failed to redress or prevent any of these ethics violations, largely because it contains no enforcement mechanism. Both the Court and the Judicial Conference appear to have failed to even investigate allegations of ethics violations by Supreme Court justices, much less provide any findings or sanctions,” added the senators.
BREAKING: Sens. Durbin, Whitehouse request meeting with Chief Justice Roberts over Alito ethics scandal, call for Alito’s recusal in Jan. 6 cases. https://t.co/MyIeOrlvl6 pic.twitter.com/RcH7DMmNq4
— Chris “Law Dork” Geidner (@chrisgeidner) May 24, 2024
Durbin is the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which Whitehouse sits on. Whitehouse is the Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights.
House Oversight and Accountability Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) went so far during a recent interview as to refer to the Supreme Court in its current form as an “extremely corrupted and contaminated body”:
But to my mind, we’ve gotta organize the people in America. That’s where the power comes from. And we will, if and when we win back the House and the Senate and the White House. We will look at the Supreme Court and figure out what can be done about that extremely corrupted and contaminated body.
It’s a message Whitehouse wholeheartedly agreed with:
Raskin: “if and when we win back the House and the Senate and the White House we will look at the Supreme Court and figure out what can be done about that extremely corrupted and contaminated body.” Yes we will, brother. Yes we will.https://t.co/tqrffjtEnl
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) May 24, 2024
Whitehouse, who has made it his life’s mission to delegitimize the Supreme Court by any means necessary, put up yet another one of his infamously long-winded Twitter threads in response to the stories, accusing Alito of “flying MAGA battle flags at his houses” and both Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas of being beneficiaries of a “billionaire-funded gifts program”:
But not a solitary one. It is worsened by the billionaire-funded gifts program for Thomas and Alito that rewards them with Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) May 24, 2024
.@SenWhitehouse attacking SCOTUS (again) with usual hyperbole — in 2009 he compared Republicans to Nazis for opposing Obamacare, via Dana Milbank in WaPo: "Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) had just delivered an overwrought jeremiad comparing the Republicans to Nazis on… https://t.co/jchsU1FEtL pic.twitter.com/6Uh63ZZ1NK
— William A. Jacobson (@wajacobson) May 25, 2024
Whitehouse also accused them of conflict of interest issues, which, as Legal Insurrection readers are well aware, is a lot like the pot calling the kettle black:
- Sheldon Whitehouse Hit With Ethics Complaint Over Legislation That Allegedly Benefited His Wife’s Environmental Group
- Democrat Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Gets Exposed as ‘Conflicts of Interest’ Hypocrite
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), a legal legend in his own mind, declared that Alito allegedly making “political statements” was a violation of “the most basic ethics requirement of any judge”:
Justice Alito has now twice violated the most basic ethics requirement of any judge—no political statements.
If he presides over the 2020 election interference cases, he irreparably damages the Court.
If he doesn't recuse, the Chief Justice must intervene for the Court's sake. pic.twitter.com/JScKaN6w6V
— Rep. Dan Goldman (@RepDanGoldman) May 23, 2024
There are, of course, some flies in the ointment regarding these Democrat arguments, with the first one being that one does not need to be an “insurrectionist” to fly the American flag upside down, nor to raise the “Appeal to Heaven” flag.
The latter has also been flown in official capacities in San Francisco:
how could Sam Alito do this pic.twitter.com/HcH9bdxWJK
— Logan Dobson (@LoganDobson) May 25, 2024
lest you think this was just 2019, the Appeal To Heaven flag was flying outside San Francisco City Hall in 2023 as well — the same time frame as at Alito’s beach house
Dastardly insurrectionists everywhere pic.twitter.com/x7oNSx2hct
— Logan Dobson (@LoganDobson) May 25, 2024
An appeal to heaven (for those of the #ThoughtsAndPrayers crowd) at San Francisco’s #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/ohnmBaOVMk
— ǝuuɐzǝ̗Ɔ (@cezanneab) March 24, 2018
… and has been used during other far-left rallies:
So weird. None of these left-wing protestors from 2020 seem bothered by this obviously insurrectionist symbol. pic.twitter.com/4DkOIZFRtN
— Zach Parkinson (@AZachParkinson) May 23, 2024
Further, there’s the little matter of Democrat hypocrisy when it comes to alleged “conflicts of interest” on the Supreme Court:
In 2016, Justice Ginsburg—not her spouse—weighed in against Trump’s election, suggested fleeing the country, and made comments about his tax returns.
Why did Senate Democrats not call for her recusal in any Trump case—including one about his taxes? https://t.co/4b3syltgwV pic.twitter.com/AMg9HpftuG
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) May 25, 2024
LOL Senate Democrats are such hacks https://t.co/qed2Nwnwla pic.twitter.com/lYqaWchVaC
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) May 24, 2024
Yikes! pic.twitter.com/0XBdnz2NHQ
— Sunnydaze (@TanyaSh93952310) May 24, 2024
There’s much more from where that came, but I think the point has been made.
Additionally, it’s mildly amusing to hear Democrats fretting about supposed impropriety when one considers one of the cases they want Alito to recuse himself from involves Joe Biden’s general election opponent, Donald Trump.
Last but not least, Raskin’s Twitter feed from last week gave us a big clue as to what all the fuss over Alito and flags was really all about:
The GOP’s misogynistic assault on bodily freedom and reproductive health is an assault on democratic equality. Let’s organize with everything we’ve got to defeat the theocrats and to defend the health care rights of our people in November. https://t.co/8g22kDmnTl
— Jamie Raskin (@jamie_raskin) May 24, 2024
In other words, their attacks on Alito and Thomas are about distracting voters, Democrat and independent ones especially, from Joe Biden’s disastrous record and equally bad polling numbers:
Dems trying to reengage progressive base which is threatening not to vote for 'Genocide Joe' by attacking SCOTUS (and Alito particularly who authored abortion ruling), hoping base will care more about abortions. https://t.co/Olt5m9ZxvV
— William A. Jacobson (@wajacobson) May 25, 2024
Nailed it.
— Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter. —
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Comments
Gosh, we should have rounded up all those people that placed the Bushitler stickers everywhere in 2004 along with Ms Deplorable Clinton, the Rev Al, Stacey “Nevemissameal” Abrams, ManBearPig and a whole host of other political figures of the left.
I haven’t seen Dems so upset since we freed their slaves.
Nah, they get this upset about some damfool thing or other every few weeks.
Wow, so Sheldon Whorehouse (D-All White Boat Club) and Dick Turban (D-Hamas) are yapping about the Supreme Court being an “extremely corrupt and contaminated body,” and now they want to meet with Roberts to discuss recusing Alito.
All for doing something perfectly legal.
F**king power hungry bastards.
When Democrats tell you who they are, believe them.
The vile Dhimmi-crat apparatchiks need to distract the proletariat from their manifestly corrosive, ruinous and impoverishing governance — time to contrive another fake “controversy!”
The Dhimmi-crats’ greasy and underhanded tactics are as predictable as the day is long.
The Dhimmi-crats” farcical “corrupt and contaminated” judicial standard applies to any court that isn’t dominated by Dhimmi-crat activist-legislators issuing fiats/diktats according to the Dhimmi-crats’ noxious policy preferences and caprices that aren’t able to be enacted by Congress.
Sheldon Whitehouse and Dick Durbin: Engaged in a fierce daily contest for the title of “Most Insufferable Senate A**hole.”
Roberts should return the letter, with a note saying that it is unnecessary, out-of-turn, and an unwelcome violation of the separation of powers.
I’m liking Alitos wife more and more
I’m sure she’s a lovely person, but I take him at his word that it had nothing to do with Stop the Steal, so not only don’t we know what if anything he thinks of it, nor do we know what she thinks. And that’s how it should be.
It’s so obvious that people would take notice if there wasn’t a performance.
Ah yes, there it is the claim of ‘misogyny’. The woke, leftist, d/prog attacks aren’t complete without throwing around charges that someone hates women b/c that person believes what everyone else believed until ten years ago. See the feminist lefty outrage directed at Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs. Disagreement with the poor societal outcomes of feminism has wrought since the mid 70’s extremist feminism began isn’t misogyny. Shifting the blame and changing the topic is the favorite tactic of woke leftists for whom accountability is kryptonite.
@Ivanraiklin might have something to say…
Saw one tweet (before my one week ban) that suggested this is all coming down because a leaked decision on some case. Then it reminded us they never “foudn” the roe v wade leaker.
I bet Dustbin and whatever his name is are going to have a real unbearable lightness of being, when they find out that Justice Alito can tell the Chief Justice to go pound sand regarding any recusal.
Supreme Court Justices are only subject to their own ethics and morals and can’t be forced to recuse, unless they choose to recuse.
He can, but he probably wouldn’t. But I don’t think Roberts would ask him to in the first place.
You are most likely correct. Roberts has proven himself to be a huge coward so confrontation isn’t really his thing.
Let’s keep a few things straight in hour minds. The attack on Alito is of course scurrilous, as was the one on Thomas recently. But let’s not let emotions keep us from recognizing facts:
* Alito has never expressed an opinion on Stop the Steal. It’s pretty obvious that he voted for Trump, which is just fine, but we simply don’t know what he thinks about the aftermath of the 2020 election. Therefore there is no reason for him to recuse himself.
* However had he expressed an opinion on it, then there is no doubt he would have to recuse himself from any case involving it. Not from other Trump-related cases; only from cases involving that issue.
* Likewise, had the 2016 election ever come before the court, there is little doubt that Ginsburg would have recused herself, probably without even being asked to. She publicly acknowledged that she had made a mistake, and that this might force her to recuse herself from some future cases. Fortunately for her it never came up, because no case related to the election ever came before her.
* People who aren’t judges are of course entitled to express public opinions on anything. So scooterjay’s comment is not relevant.
* Sotomayor and Gorsuch didn’t recuse themselves on applications for cert in cases involving Random House, which has paid them royalties. I recall reading somewhere that Sotomayor claimed that Random House wasn’t named as a party in those cases, so she never realized that it was involved through owning one of the parties; had cert been granted, she claimed, this would have come to light and she would have recused herself. I haven’t heard anything from Gorsuch but it’s possible he also made a similar error. Breyer apparently recused himself not because of royalties he’d received but because he had shares in one of the parties.
* Whitehouse is one of the scummiest members of the swamp, but the fact that a club he’s in happens not currently to have any black members shouldn’t be seriously held against him. It’s fun to use it to sling accusations against him, so long as we remember for ourselves that we’re not being serious. But it seems to me that some people actually take this accusation seriously, so they need to know that it isn’t valid. It’s a local rich people’s club, so it’s not surprising that all the current members happen to be white, because how many rich black people are there in the area who would be interested in joining it? But there’s no reason to believe that a black applicant would have any trouble joining; on the contrary, they’d probably welcome them just so they could get rid of that talking point.
Milhouse. I used the “D-All White Boat Club” descriptor for Senator Whorehouse tongue in cheek, as should have been obvious.
However, it is certainly deliciously ironic that Mr Whorehouse, one of the Senate’s leading proponents of rooting out nonexistent “systemic racism,” refuses to resign his membership in a club that lacks the very diversity Mr Whorehouse purports to support.
I do, however, mean seriously to call him “Mr Whorehouse.”
I agree with you. It’s fun to call him that, and it serves him right. Just so long as we don’t forget the truth among ourselves.
No forgetting here. I don’t really care about his boat club membership. I will take a sideways page from Groucho Marx: I wouldn’t want to be a member of any club that would have Sheldon Whorehouse as a member.
Perhaps one day, RI voters will kick his worthless ass to the curb.
Doubtful though.
Bait catches foolishness.
Also, if a case involving Harlan Crow were ever to come before the Supreme Court, there’s no doubt Thomas would recuse himself. It’s just never happened. Crow has never had business before the court, and there’s no prospect of him ever having any, so there’s been no occasion for Thomas’s relationship with him to become an issue.
So the Democrats are calling for a judge to step down for perceived bias?
How about proving how serious you are about biased judges by telling Merchan to declare a mistrial and stand down from ANY case involving Trump or his people?
Same with Engoron.
I believe that Whitehouse explained the lack of black membership at his boat club by saying everybody knows they can’t swim.
In the case of Raskin v Cancer I was rooting for the tumor….