Alito says he spoke with Trump about former law clerk before Supreme Court filing in “hush money” case
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said Wednesday that he had discussed the job of a former law clerk in the president-elect’s administration with Donald Trump a day before Trump asked the Supreme Court to agree. Delay His judgment in the New York “hush money” case.
Alito said in a statement that the staffer, William Levy, had asked him to take a call from the president-elect “inquiring about his qualifications to hold government office.” The conservative judge also said he and Trump “did not discuss any other matters pending or that may come before the Supreme Court in the future, nor any past Supreme Court decisions involving the president-elect.”
“We did not discuss the emergency petition he filed today, and in fact, at the time we spoke I had no idea such a petition would even be filed,” Alito said.
The justices often recommend former staffers for top positions in government and law firms, but speaking directly to the president seemed unusual and came at a time when Trump had matters to deal with in court. Trump’s lawyers asked the Supreme Court to delay his sentencing on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in New York related to a $130,000 hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Trump has denied any wrongdoing. He is currently scheduled to be sentenced On Friday, the judge in the case said he did not plan to sentence Trump to prison. He also allowed him to appear virtually instead of in person.
Trump’s lawyers argued the ruling could disrupt the presidential transition and violate a previous Supreme Court ruling granting immunity to former presidents in a separate case against Trump. The court has yet to respond.
Levy served as chief of staff to Attorney General Bill Barr during Trump’s first term. From 2011 to 2012, he served as Alito’s law clerk.
Gabe Ross, executive director of the nonpartisan group Fix the Courts, called the call a “clear violation of protocol.”
“No one, no matter who they are, should have out-of-court interactions with the judge or magistrates who are hearing that person’s case,” he said in a statement.
A Trump spokesman did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
But Carrie Severino, president of JCN, a conservative group that supports Trump’s judicial nominees, said in a social media post that the call was a “fabricated ‘ethics’ scandal over a simple background check “, which was amplified in order to “smear” the judiciary.
Last year, Alito faced calls to recuse himself from involvement in two major Trump-related cases. banner A man linked to Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, had previously been spotted flying out of his home. Alito said his wife had made it clear she was rejecting calls for him to step down.
Tuesday’s conference call was first reported as abc news.
