Somebody has some 'splaining to do

Court nominee Alito holdings top $615,000

Alito's worth around $615,000. Big deal. No problem with that. For a 55 year old professional in the United States $615,000 in assets isn't unusual at all. During the internet boom even *I* was worth that much on paper, and I was still in my 20s. [Note to audience: I lived high on the hog for close to 10 years as an elite member of the digirati but I am now an impoverished, broken, sad little man. So there.]

But what about this?

Alito received the Exxon-Mobil stock, which could be worth as much as $250,000, as a bequest in May 2004. His disclosure form did not provide the source of the bequest, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for more information.

I want to know WHO "bequested" a quarter-million dollars worth of Exxon-Mobil stock to Alito and I want to know WHY. These are legitimate questions for a Supreme Court nominee. We'll accept no bullshit obfuscation from the White House on this front - "a nominee's personal finances are exactly that - personal..."

If I were headed for a high-profile job and somebody GAVE me $250,000 I'd feel obligated to let the public know the circumstances surrounding that award.

Let's not let this one slip through the cracks.

[Update: This Guardian article says that a friend died and left him the Exxon-Mobil stock. That's fine and good. Alito and the White House now need to disclose the name of the friend and some background information on his relationship with Alito. The circumstances surrounding his death would be helpful information as well. (Thank you Tillman in comments and the wingnuts at Captain Queeg's place).]

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