John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, defended Samuel Alito on Wednesday after The New York Times’s latest report calling out the Supreme Court justice for a flag at his vacation home in New Jersey.
The report, “Another Provocative Flag Was Flown at Another Alito Home,” focused on the flying of the Revolutionary War-era “Appeal to Heaven” flag, which was used by some rioters on Jan. 6, 2021.
Last summer, two years after an upside-down American flag was flown outside the Virginia home of Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., another provocative symbol was displayed at his vacation house in New Jersey, according to interviews and photographs.
This time, it was the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, which, like the inverted U.S. flag, was carried by rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Also known as the Pine Tree flag, it dates back to the Revolutionary War, but largely fell into obscurity until recent years and is now a symbol of support for former President Donald J. Trump, for a religious strand of the “Stop the Steal” campaign and for a push to remake American government in Christian terms. (NYT)
While Alito declined to comment, he did tell the paper in response to their first hit piece that he wasn't involved in flying the upside down flag, and that "it was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs."
When asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer whether he had concerns about Alito’s impartiality on the bench, Bolton said “absolutely not.”
“I think it is outrageous, outrageous and unacceptable, for people to take a flag from the American Revolution and say that because some January 6 protesters flew it, that it’s now unacceptable to fly that flag, and I’d like to hear a Democratic Party politician say that expressly,” he added.
“The January 6 people flew a lot of flags...They don’t have the right or the ability to expropriate a patriotic symbol of the United States, and then have everybody else say it belongs to them and condemn Sam Alito or anybody else for flying that flag," Bolton continued.
He argued it's only controversial to the left because they "have it in for Sam Alito," but it's not to him -- "and I'm as against Donald Trump as anybody I know in this country."
“There’s no indication that it was intended to express any support for January the sixth. And I’ll tell you, those who are using this tactic against Alito now, it will come back to haunt them,” he warned.
"What's unacceptable is this rush to find some reason to criticize #Alito."
— StudiGo (@StudiGo_LLC) May 23, 2024
Former US Ambassador @AmbJohnBolton says he's not concerned about Justice Samuel Alito having a conflict of interest on the Supreme Court and its handling of January 6th events.
Speaking with… pic.twitter.com/YxpnblmdK9
Similarly, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who called the first flag report from the Times "shameful," said the focus on Alito is an effort to intimidate the court.
The hysterical and partisan attacks on the Alitos continue in an attempt to intimidate the Court.
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) May 22, 2024
The press will next attack Justice Alito for flying an American flag—also flown by J6ers!