BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Alito responds to allegations of ethical violations

  • ProPublica reported Alito received a vacation from a billionaire 
  • Alito responded with an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal 
  • Justice Clarence Thomas has also faced allegations of ethics violations

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

(NewsNation) — After reporting from investigative news outlet ProPublica revealed undisclosed financial gifts given to Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito from a billionaire, Alito responded with an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal denying he was out of compliance with ethical standards.

ProPublica reported on a fishing trip Alito took as a gift from Paul Singer and failed to declare on a financial disclosure form. Singer, who made his money from hedge funds, has appeared before the Supreme Court multiple times and Alito also did not recuse himself in any of those cases.

In his op-ed, Alito argued that he was not required to recuse himself or to declare the vacation he was given based on the ethical standards of the court.

Alito said his relationship with Singer was not significant enough to require him to recuse himself to avoid the appearance of impropriety. He also indicated he was not necessarily aware of Singer’s involvement in some of the cases that came before the court, because Singer was not a listed party in those cases, which involved corporations Singer had connections to.

“The entities that ProPublica claims are connected to Mr. Singer all appear to be either limited liability corporations or limited liability partnerships. It would be utterly impossible for my staff or any other Supreme Court employees to search filings with the SEC or other government bodies to find the names of all individuals with a financial interest in every such entity,” Alito wrote.

Alito also defended his failure to report the vacations, on the grounds that accommodations and transportation for social events were not reportable gifts.

“The flight to Alaska was the only occasion when I have accepted transportation for a purely social event, and in doing so I followed what I understood to be standard practice,” he wrote.

Alito is not the only justice that ProPublica found to have undisclosed donations. It also reported on luxury vacations Justice Clarence Thomas received from a wealthy donor.

Politics

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Clear

la

60°F Clear Feels like 60°
Wind
1 mph SW
Humidity
74%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

A few clouds. Low around 50F. Winds light and variable.
50°F A few clouds. Low around 50F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
2 mph N
Precip
10%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waxing Gibbous