Trump Commends Alito for Not Recusing from Jan. 6 Cases

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday praised Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for refusing to recuse himself from cases that come before the court involving the Capitol unrest on Jan. 6, 2021, despite calls from critics for him to do so.

Alito issued a letter to legislators on Wednesday stating that his wife decided to fly an upside-down American flag in early 2021 just after Jan. 6, and a Revolutionary War-era flag with the words “Appeal to Heaven” written on it in the summer of 2023.

The “appeal” flag has become a symbol among Christian Nationalists in recent years, and has been connected to the “Stop the Steal” movement following the 2020 election.

Alito said his wife was acting in response in the case of the upside-down flag to a dispute with neighbors, and that in the case of the “appeal” flag, did not know it was connected to any controversies.

“I was not aware of any connection between this flag and the ‘Stop the Steal Movement,’ and neither was my wife. She did not fly it to associate herself with that or any other group,” Alito wrote.

Trump wrote in a statement on his social media platform Truth Social: “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.”

He added, “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!”