Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) expressed his concern over Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s response to the ethics questions surrounding a luxury fishing trip. Whitehouse believes that Alito’s excuses only made the situation worse.
Earlier this week, Alito preemptively defended himself against ethics allegations in The Wall Street Journal, prior to ProPublica publishing their report. The report revealed that Alito had taken a fishing trip to Alaska in 2008 on a private jet chartered by hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer, who later asked the Supreme Court to rule in his favor in various business disputes. The trip was arranged by conservative figure Leonard Leo, who was the head of the Federalist Society at the time.
Alito failed to report the trip on his financial disclosure forms and did not recuse himself from cases involving Singer’s businesses. Whitehouse criticized the excuses Alito made, calling them preposterous and nearly incriminating.
One particular excuse Alito used was that the trip was considered “personal hospitality,” which he defined as hospitality extended by an individual, not a corporation or organization, for non-business purposes. Alito claimed that the term “facilities” includes means of transportation, such as a private plane. However, Whitehouse argues that the term “facilities” only pertains to food, lodging, and entertainment, not jet travel.
Whitehouse assured that investigators would thoroughly examine ethics issues involving Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas. He also emphasized the need to scrutinize right-wing billionaires who have significant influence in the Supreme Court’s processes.
You can watch Senator Sheldon Whitehouse discuss the matter on MSNBC via the embedded video below.
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