WASHINGTON — Justice Samuel Alito confirmed Wednesday that he spoke with President-elect Donald Trump one day before Trump filed an emergency request with the Supreme Court to halt his upcoming sentencing. Alito, however, insisted that their conversation did not touch on the case.
In a statement first reported by ABC News, Alito explained that the call occurred at the request of William Levi, a former law clerk, who asked him to discuss Trump's potential appointment to a government position.
"I agreed to discuss this matter with President-elect Trump, and he called me yesterday afternoon," Alito said. "We did not discuss the emergency application he filed today, and indeed, I was not even aware at the time of our conversation that such an application would be filed."
On Wednesday, Trump’s legal team submitted a filing asking the Supreme Court to block legal proceedings in his hush money case ahead of his sentencing hearing scheduled for Friday. His lawyers argued that Trump, as president-elect, is shielded by presidential immunity and that allowing the case to proceed would cause "grave injustice" and disrupt the functioning of the federal government.
The Supreme Court has yet to issue a response to Trump’s request.
Timeline of Events
The filing follows a series of legal defeats for Trump earlier this week. On Monday, a New York judge rejected his request to block sentencing. The next day, a New York appeals court judge similarly dismissed his bid.
Justice Alito emphasized in his statement that he and Trump "did not discuss any other matter that is pending or might in the future come before the Supreme Court or any past Supreme Court decisions involving the President-elect."
Previous Scrutiny
This is not the first time Justice Alito has faced scrutiny over his perceived ties to Trump. Last year, Alito came under fire after an upside-down American flag was spotted flying outside his Virginia home—a symbol often used by Trump supporters alleging the 2020 election was stolen.
Alito distanced himself from the incident, stating that he "had nothing whatsoever to do with the flying of that flag." He noted in a letter to Congress that he had asked his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, to take the flag down, but "for several days, she refused."
The flag controversy led several congressional Democrats to urge Alito to recuse himself from Trump-related cases. Alito declined to do so.
A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday night.
This latest development adds another layer of complexity to Trump's legal battles as he prepares to take office while navigating significant personal and political challenges.
