Rachel Maddow spoke with MSNBC’s Alex Wagner Thursday about Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito after The New York Times reported that an upside-down American flag was seen flying over his home in the weeks following the Jan. 6 insurrection. The inverted flag became a “Stop the Steal” symbol for Donald Trump’s supporters who were trying to overturn the 2020 election results.
Alito’s upside-down flag was seen on Jan. 17, 2021, which is when the Supreme Court was considering whether to hear a case regarding the results of the 2020 election.
“It’s unsettling. It’s gross,” Maddow said.
Alito has since blamed his wife for the flag’s offensive orientation, but Maddow isn’t buying it.
“Everybody has different marriage rules, but ‘it’s my wife’s fault’ is probably never within the marriage rules, when you are talking to The New York Times about something that you’ve done that has brought enough scandal upon you and the institution you represent, that it’s on the front page of The New York Times,” she said.
This is just the latest scandal surrounding Alito’s ethical behavior both inside and outside of the court, following a leak of his draft opinion in Dobbs, which overturned Roe v. Wade, and a photograph of Alito fishing with billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Singer, which raised the issue of third-party funding in the courts.
“Justice Alito has become increasingly unembarrassed about displaying himself as a partisan, as a consumer of partisan narratives and media, and in ruling in ways that are just kind of out loud, all caps disdainful toward a majority of the country, in some cases,” Maddow continued. “And certainly against people who disagree with him. And this fits with that.”
She also noted how exceptional a controversy it is for the Supreme Court.
“I think Chief Justice Roberts has a problem on his hands in terms of the behavior of some of the more aggressive justices, and those who are really flouting ethics concerns and equanimity concerns with their behavior,” Maddow said.
Ian Bassin is the former associate White House counsel and co-founder and executive director of Protect Democracy. Protect Democracy is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group focused on anti-authoritarianism, how to protect our democracy, and safeguarding our free and fair elections.
