Scalia’s son slams ‘hurtful’ conspiracy theories about father’s death
The eldest son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Wednesday sought to dispel swirling conspiracy theories that his father died as the result of foul play.
“It’s, I think, a distraction from a great man and his legacy at a time when there’s so much to be said about that and to help people even more fully appreciate that. And, on a personal level, I think it’s a bit of a hurtful distraction for a family that’s mourning,” Eugene Scalia said on Laura Ingraham’s radio show.
GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump this week expressed skepticism about the death of the conservative icon, saying, “They say they found a pillow on his face, which is a pretty unusual place to find a pillow.”
Scalia died unexpectedly over the weekend at a ranch in Texas. A state judge had declared him dead over the phone, allowed under Texas state law, and Scalia’s family didn’t push for an autopsy for the 79-year-old justice.
“He had a pillow over his head, not over his face as some have been saying,” John Poindexter, the owner of the Cibolo Creek Ranch where Scalia was found dead, told CNN.
“The pillow was against the headboard and over his head when he was discovered. He looked like someone who had had a restful night’s sleep. There was no evidence of anything else,” Poindexter added.
Scalia said Wednesday that his father “would have been the first to tell you … that we’re from dust, we return to dust, your life could be taken from you at any instant.”
“He was a month shy of 80 years old. He lived this incredibly full and active life, but I knew, and he knew, that he was at a place in life where he could be taken from this world at any time,” Eugene Scalia continued.
“Our family just has no doubt he died of natural causes. And we accept that. We’re praying for him. We ask others to accept that and pray for him,” he added.
Antonin Scalia’s funeral will be held Saturday in Washington, D.C.
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