Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called the Supreme Court “blatantly corrupt and shamelessly political” as he defended President Biden over reports that he described the high court as “unbalanced” during a fundraiser this weekend.
In an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union,” Murphy said it is “absolutely” appropriate for Biden to criticize the court.
“I think it would be irresponsible for the President not to talk about the fact that this Court is becoming blatantly corrupt and blatantly political,” Murphy added when asked about the appropriateness of Biden’s remarks.
“And it’s up to the American people, in this election, to do something about it,” he said, adding that Congress must also “step up” and pass a code of ethical conduct “before it’s too late.”
The interview comes amid calls for Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from upcoming cases related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and the 2020 presidential election, following reports that two flags associated with the effort to keep former President Trump in power after 2020 were on display. outside your home. He refused these calls.
One case after the 2020 election involved an upside-down American flag, a symbol historically used to signal distress that was also used by those protesting former Trump’s loss and that was later associated with the “Stop the Steal” movement. ”, which attempted to prevent the transfer of presidential power based on false allegations of electoral fraud.
And in 2023, at his vacation home in New Jersey, Alito flew an “Appeal to Heaven” flag — which, although it originated in the Revolutionary War, has more recently served as a call for a conservative, Bible-centered government and has been seen in the mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6th.
Alito said his wife decided to fly the flag at their home, saying she has the “legal right to use the property as she sees fit” and describing her as “enjoying flying flags.”
Justice Clarence Thomas also faced calls to recuse himself due to his wife, Virginia’s, involvement in the push to overturn the 2020 election results. Like Alito, Thomas refused to recuse himself.
He also faced scrutiny for accepting lavish gifts and vacations from billionaire Harlan Crow, which were largely uncovered by a ProPublica investigation that raised questions about his ability to remain impartial.
Murphy pointed to these examples as evidence of a “crisis” in the courtroom.
“I think there is a crisis on the court, especially with regard to Justice Alito and Justice Thomas. What Judge Thomas is doing is just a fraud. He has a major political player on the outside who absolutely has political and business interests in court, bribing a judge,” Murphy said. “Judge Alito is openly demonstrating affiliation with political causes in public.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
