Alito's former neighbor disputes account over US flag incident

Erik Wemple, a media critic, criticized The Washington Post, where he works, for letting The New York Times be the first to report about an upside-down American flag in Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's yard. Alito explained that his wife put up the flag during a disagreement with a neighbor who displayed a controversial sign near a children's bus stop. The New York Times published the story connecting the flag to the Jan. 6 riots, but The Washington Post missed the chance to report on it over three years ago. Wemple wrote an article expressing disappointment in his paper for not taking action and missing out on an important story that was close to their newsroom. Wemple pointed out that The Washington Post did not reach out to Emily Baden, the neighbor involved in the dispute with the Alitos, until after The New York Times published their story. He mentioned that it seemed like a failure on the part of The Post to cover the incident. Wemple also highlighted that there was no evidence that The Post's Metro section was consulted about the neighborhood dispute. When Wemple asked the executive editor at the time, Martin Baron, about the situation, Baron claimed he was unaware of any discussions until The Post inquired about the story. Wemple argued that the Alitos were given special treatment they did not deserve. He mentioned that Baden found the Alito family's explanation of the argument to be unbelievable. The Washington Post did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. CNN interviewed Emily Baden, the former neighbor of Justice Alito, who disputed his version of the neighborhood conflict that led to the controversial flags being displayed on his properties. Baden stated that Alito's timeline of events was incorrect and accused him of lying. She mentioned that the dispute with the Alitos did not happen until mid-February, contradicting Alito's claims. Baden clarified that the signs in the neighborhood were not directed at the Alitos. The flags seen at Alito's properties were also present during the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Some Democrats have called for Alito to recuse himself from cases related to the Capitol attack. Alito responded by stating that his wife made the decisions to display the flags, and he had no involvement in them. The Supreme Court is currently handling significant cases related to the 2020 election and the Capitol attack.