Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito confirmed to Fox News Wednesday that he spoke with the President-elect Donald Trump a day before Trump's appearance at the high court but said they did not discuss an emergency motion that the former president's legal team plans to file to delay the sentencing.
Alito told Fox News' Shannon Bream that he was asked if he would accept a call from Trump about the case against his former secretary, William Levi, and praised the “action Levi's specialty”.
“William Levi, one of my former legal secretaries, asked me to take a call from President Trump about his qualifications for office. I agreed to discuss the matter. and President Trump, and he called me yesterday afternoon,” Alito said.
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Associate Justice Samuel Alito joins other members of the Supreme Court as they unveil a new panel image in October 2022. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
Alito said when he spoke to Trump about the emergency request, he did not know “even at the time of our conversation that such a request would be filed.”
“Nor have we discussed any other matter that is pending or may come before the Supreme Court or any previous Supreme Court decisions involving the President-elect,” Alito said. said.
Alito told Fox News that he was often asked to make recommendations to potential employers for former writers and that it was routine.
Levi used to work for me Department of Justice during the first term of the President-elect and served Alito from 2011 to 2012.
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President-elect Trump meets with lawmakers. (Getty Images)
Alito, speaking to Trump a day before Trump's appearance at the high court on his New York hush money case, has some calling him out, saying the conversation was “a clear violation of protocol.”
“No one, no matter who they are, should have to engage in out-of-court discussions with a judge or justice considering that person's case,” Gabe Roth, executive director of the nonpartisan group, said. Fix the Court, he said in a statement.
Alito said he didn't know there was an emergency motion being read by Trump's legal team regarding the New York State case, and there was no discussion about it.
Associate Justice Samuel Alito Jr. during a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Oct. 7. 2022. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He confirmed to Fox News that the call was only about Levi, and that there was no discussion of any matter involving Trump's legal affairs – past, present or future.
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He also said that there is no discussion of any matter before the Court or that may appear before the Court.
ABC News was the first to report on the Trump-Alito call.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.