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Bad news for those who had hoped for an ethics investigation into Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito after it was revealed that right-wing, Jan. 6-linked flags were flown at his properties on two separate occasions: Joe Biden doesn’t even want to talk about it. Although the president has been outspoken about how the GOP is actively threatening democratic institutions, he’s hesitant to say that about the Supreme Court, aides told Politico. Biden reportedly believes that outright criticism of the justices could be construed by opponents as evidence he’s politically motivated against the branch, which would hurt his image as a defender of democratic institutions. “The central pushback should come from the legislative branch, and not the executive branch,” Anthony Coley, a former senior official in Biden’s DOJ, said. Top congressional Democrats are reluctant to move on the court as well. Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) said he was doubtful that anything worthwhile would come from calling a hearing into the flag controversy. “I don’t think that’s going to achieve anything,” he told Politico.
