Several prominent Republican senators have spoken out against Judge Samuel Alito's handling of a controversial flag incident.
High-ranking Republican senators expressing disapproval over a conservative justice is a rare occurrence and a testament to how unorthodox this controversy is.
During a short interview with CNN, Senate Republican Foreman John Thune, one of the candidates campaigning to replace the retiring Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, labelled the flag a "bad decision."
"I don't know how you justify that," Thune said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, commented on Alito's American flag being hung upside down at his house as a "mistake."
"It creates a bad impression," Graham relayed to CNN's Manu Raju. "It led to the current circumstance in which we find ourselves. So, yeah, I believe it was a mistake."
Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney chimed in with similar concerns about the flag.
"It's regrettable, and we ought to examine the situation," he said to the press.
The inverted flag symbolized the "Stop the Steal" movement after the election, with Trump supporters falsely asserting that Biden's victory was illegal due to widespread fraud. The upside-down flag surfaced during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
The New York Times shared a photo of the inverted flag, claiming they saw it at the justice's residence in Alexandria, Virginia, on January 17, 2021.
"I had no part in the flag's flying at all," Alito said in an emailed statement to the Times. "It was briefly put up by Mrs. Alito as a reaction to a neighbor's use of extremely offensive and insulting language on yard signs."
Some Republicans who conversed with CNN defended Alito or disregarded the matter. Others who questioned his judgment on the incident still supported his position on the court.
"There's always accusations aimed at members of this court, and the left has tried persistently to discredit them," Thune said. "This is a court that's examining the law and Constitution as they should."
"I don't think he should step down," Graham told Raju.
Numerous Republicans advocated against demands for Alito to recuse himself from cases relating to Trump and the election.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, a Judiciary Committee member vying to be the GOP leader, said, "there are more pressing matters that deserve our attention."
Cornyn labelled the attention to the inverted flag as "continued harassment" against Alito.
"Ever since Clarence Thomas underwent what he termed 'high-tech lynching,' I think we've seen ongoing attempts to deprecate the Supreme Court. And this is simply the most recent instance," Cornyn added.
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, also a Judiciary Committee member, said the news about the flag is "the most recent endeavor by the left to attack and assail the Supreme Court." He argued that calls by Democrats for Alito to recuse himself from some cases linked to Trump are "a ridiculous notion with no bearing on reality."
GOP Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana remarked, "This is America, and Mrs. Alito is entitled to her perspective. However, I don't see any evidence that Justice Alito played any role in it."
Kennedy also touched on the responsibilities and prerogatives of Supreme Court spouses.
"Should they be cautious and prudent in expressing their outlook? Certainly. But they don't have to be."
Another GOP senator seemed to regard the issue as a clash between neighbors.
"It seemed like some kind of neighborhood squabble. I don't have anything more to say about it," proclaimed Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito from West Virginia.
*CNN's John Fritze, Lauren Fox, Morgan Rimmer, and Manu Raju contributed to this report.
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In light of the controversy, Senator Ted Cruz expressed his support for Judge Samuel Alito, stating, "I stand firm in my belief that Judge Alito is a qualified and respected justice, and this incident does not change that fact."
When asked about the issue during a press conference, Senator Marco Rubio noted, "I think it's important to separate the flag incident from Alito's judicial record, and we should focus on his contributions to the court rather than this momentary lapse."
Source: edition.cnn.com
