Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s wife, Martha-Ann, recently told a woman who identified herself as a conservative supporter that she wanted to fly a Catholic flag at the couple’s Virginia home in response to a Pride flag in their neighborhood .
“You know what I want?” the judge’s wife said to the woman, Lauren Windsor, who secretly recorded the conversation during a Supreme Court black tie last week. “I want a Sacred Heart flag because I have to look across the lagoon at the Pride flag next month.”
But Ms. Alito said that after she suggested the Sacred Heart flag as a response to the LGBTQ rights symbol, her husband said, “Oh, please, don’t hang a flag.”
She said that she agreed for now, but told him: “When you are freed from this nonsense”, “I will publish it and send you a message every day, maybe even every week.” I will change the flags.”
She added that she would come up with her own flag, which would be white with yellow and orange flames and read “shame” in Italian.
Ms. Alito’s comments were posted online late Monday by Ms. Windsor, who describes herself as a documentary filmmaker and “advocacy journalist.” Ms. Windsor, who is known for reaching out to conservatives including former Vice President Mike Pence, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, released edited recordings of Ms. Alito as well as separate edited recordings of Justice Alito and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., on social media.
The segment with Ms. Alito, about six minutes long, includes an extensive conversation in which the judge’s wife appears to express her frustration with the media and liberals.
Justice Alito did not respond to a request for comment about a secret recording of his conversation with Ms. Windsor, and a court spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a late evening request for comment about Ms. Alito’s recording.
The New York Times has not heard the full, unedited recording and has only reviewed the edited recording posted online. Ms. Windsor declined to provide the Times with the full recording, which she said lasted more than two hours.
During the conversation, Ms. Alito appeared to express her frustration with reporters.
Ms Windsor offered support, saying: “I’m a big fan of your husband. And everything you go through. I just want to tell you the way I-.”
Ms. Alito interrupted and said, “It’s OK! It’s okay.!”
She added: “It’s okay because if they come back to me, I’ll get them.”
When Ms. Windsor asked who she meant by “they,” Ms. Alito replied: “The media.”
Ms. Windsor then shifted the conversation to the recent flag controversy, which thrust Ms. Alito into the public spotlight.
The Times first reported that two provocative flags had been flown at two Alito homes in recent years. In the weeks following the 2020 presidential election, an upside-down American flag flew outside her home in Virginia. The inverted flag had become a symbol used by some Trump supporters who falsely claimed that President Biden had stolen the election.
Last summer, a flag called “Appeal to Heaven” flew outside the Alitos’ beach house in New Jersey. The Revolutionary War-era flag is now a symbol of support for former President Donald J. Trump, a religious strand of the “Stop the Steal” campaign and an attempt to remake government in a Christian way.
“But why do you think they are after you?” Ms. Windsor asked Ms. Alito in the recording. Then Ms. Windsor said, using an obscenity, that “the whole Appeal to Heaven flag” seemed like nonsense.
“Right, right,” Ms. Alito replied.
Ms. Windsor said sympathetically that people are “hounding you” and “you’re like a convenient replacement for anyone who’s religious.”
“Look at me, look at me,” Ms. Alito said. “I am German, come from Germany. My origins are German. If you come after me, I will give it back to you.” She didn’t elaborate.
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2024-06-11 02:57:19
www.nytimes.com
