‘Loose cannon’: Senate Dem escalates attack on Justice Alito after secret recording
Democrats have called on Justice Samuel Alito to recuse from the Trump immunity case
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., elevated his criticism of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Monday night following the publication of secretly taken recordings in which Alito noted that "there are differences on fundamental things that really can’t be compromised" while discussing ideological disagreements.
"Alito is becoming a loose cannon turned on the Court itself," Blumenthal said of Alito's remarks. "He mocks ethics."
The recordings, taken during the Supreme Court Historical Society’s annual dinner on June 3, also featured Chief Justice John Roberts responding to questions from a liberal filmmaker, who was posing as a fan of the conservative justices.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The idea that the court is in the middle of a lot of tumultuous stuff going on is nothing new," the chief justice pushed back on the filmmaker's assertion, according to one of the clips published by Rolling Stone.
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Sen. Richard Blumenthal, left, reiterated his ethical criticism of Justice Samuel Alito on Monday in response to new recordings. (Getty Images)
"Really discouraging — in fact, outrageous — that Roberts is implicitly condoning Alito’s behavior, so demeaning to the Court & degrading to himself," Blumenthal, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee and is a lawyer himself, wrote on X.
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The article focused on quotes from Alito, specifically those in which he alleges there are certain differences that don't lend themselves to compromise. Additionally, the filmmaker is heard in a recording telling Alito, "People in this country who believe in God have got to keep fighting for that — to return our country to a place of godliness."
In a response to her, Alito said, "I agree with you. I agree with you."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The justice's agreement with the notion of returning the country to "godliness" was featured prominently in the story.
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Chief Justice John Roberts attends the State of the Union address. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The Supreme Court did not provide comment from Alito in response to Fox News Digital's request.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While the filmmaker, Lauren Windsor, told her followers that the recordings were "major news" and "likely the biggest undercover story yet of my career," some pushed back at the supposed groundbreaking nature.
"Media war on Alito continues," wrote Fox News host Mark Levin on X. "This time his offense, belief in God."
"This is pure clickbait," claimed Judicial Crisis Network President Carrie Severino. "Nothing in this audio of Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito is remotely inappropriate."
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Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and his wife Martha-Ann attend a ceremonial swearing-in in the East Room of the White House in February 2006. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Fellow judiciary Democrat Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island issued his own criticism of Alito on the recording, writing, "Alito answered like a movement activist. Movement activists have their role but it’s not on the Supreme Court."
However, the senator diverged from his colleague on Roberts' recorded statements. "Roberts for all his faults answered like a judge," Whitehouse said of the chief justice.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The additional attacks come as Democrats, particularly those on the Senate Judiciary Committee, have revived efforts to press Alito and the court over alleged ethical breaches, also pushing to pass a law through Congress to enforce a code of conduct on the court. Such a means of exercising control over the court, however, has been criticized as being outside congressional authority by critics.
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The efforts to hold Alito accountable have ramped up in recent days, following reporting from the New York Times that revealed an upside down American flag and an "Appeal to Heaven" flag flying at the justice's homes in the weeks following the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Despite calls to recuse from cases related to the 2020 election amid the controversy, Alito has refused to do so. Notably, the matter of former President Trump's immunity claim in his federal election interference case is looming before the court, and a decision is expected some time this month.