Nepotism and conflicts-of-interest have become standard-issue corruption since Trump kicked off his second (and even more-disgraced) White House stint. Sometime in early April 2025, specific date unknown (a specific date not known is significant; see my Author Footnote for more), Philip Alito (Sam Alito’s son) started working in secret as political appointee in the Treasury department—brought to light by Jose Pagliery writing in NOTUS:
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s son quietly landed a political appointee job as a lawyer in the Treasury Department early last year, NOTUS has learned, posing a potential conflict of interest as courts wrestle with challenges to Donald Trump’s deal to avoid future tax audits and the new massive $1.776 billion fund meant to enrich allies.
Philip Alito has been working as an attorney with the Treasury’s office of the general counsel, which provides legal and policy advice to Scott Bessent, according to four former government officials who confirmed he worked there. NOTUS was also able to obtain a functional email address at the department for Alito.
Jose Pagliery, NOTUS
Notably, the younger Alito’s actual professional activity since April 2025 had been a bit of a mystery, and his online presence can be conservatively called “off the grid,” almost entirely:
Alito’s employment with the department is something of a closely guarded secret. He doesn’t maintain a public resume or LinkedIn, the Treasury Department website makes no mention of him, and his three professional bar listings are outdated or incorrectly list previous employers.
Alito was hired to the Treasury general counsel’s ‘front office’ in the first months of the second Trump administration as the White House sought to staff loyal political appointees across the federal government, according to one former official with direct knowledge of the arrangement. His exact role was still being sorted during his first few weeks there as senior officials rearranged professional responsibilities, this official added.
Jose Pagliery, NOTUS
There’s a very real possibility always-combative Sam Alito will claim ignorance when, or if, he’s confronted by the simply fact his son was gainfully employed by an agency with business in front of SCOTUS.
The younger Alito was an attorney at the Treasury when a lawsuit against the department and several other agencies was argued before the Supreme Court in November challenging Trump’s use of emergency powers to issue tariffs. The department never disclosed that in court documents. His father, Justice Alito, did not recuse himself from the case — and ultimately joined in a dissent written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The majority ruled in February that Trump didn’t have the authority to issue sweeping tariffs, and the decision set into motion the massive refunds that now beguile the Trump administration.
Jose Pagliery, NOTUS
Even more telling was the non-answer by spokespeople from Treasury, who did not bother commenting on the record until after the story went live (also telling still). Possibly the most-revealing aspect of their media “response” was what they didn’t address: “the department did not answer questions about when Alito began, who he reports to, the nature of his duties there or whether Philip Alito files an ethics disclosure form,” Pagliery wrote.
A reliable voice for the more-radical (and profoundly corrupt) wing of the GOP, Alito was recently busted relying on false statistics on race and voting. That, in addition to refusing to recuse in the face of obvious conflicts.
Alito has been a firebrand for decades, pushing the nonsensical (and anti-democratic) “theory” of Unitary Executive. More recently, Sam with spouse Martha Ann, joined a cadre of far-right/QAnon-inspired radicals in Trump’s orbit who proudly fly Appeal to Heaven flag.
AUTHOR FOOTNOTE
Karol-Lying Leavitt, Mike Johnson and recently sacked Pam Bondi have all called Trump’s regime “the most-transparent administration* in American history,” which is, of course, false on its face. But even more so now with unnamed individuals working overtime to keep Phil Alito’s presence at Treasury a closely guarded secret.
Why all the skullduggery fellas? Unless of course keeping a high-profile figure blood-related to a “robed operative” on SCOTUS a secret. To me, that reality is screaming itself in our faces.
The questions of “when did he start?” and “what is his remit?” are such easy layups there’s obviously more to come out on this particular SCOTUS scandal. Watch this space.
