Attorney Alan Dershowitz On How The Law Applies (Or Doesn't) To Trump

Since President Trump took office, there's been a wave of people calling for his impeachment on the grounds of financial conflicts of interest and the Russia probe.

Last year, we discussed how plausible that might be. Guest Allan Lichtman, author of “The Case for Impeachment,” told the panel about his hypothesis:

It is based on a very careful review of history, of the process of impeachment, and a deep study of the first couple of months of the Trump presidency. Through this deep study of history and politics, I was able to discern that Donald Trump is more vulnerable to impeachment than any newly elected president in the history of the United States. I also point out in the book, though, that impeachment is a difficult process, that you're dealing with a Republican congress in whose hands impeachment rests, and that impeachment will likely only happen if the American people demand it.

A slew of scholarship has echoed this theory. But Alan Dershowitz, legal scholar and frequent television commentator, has an entirely different take. His new book is called “The Case Against Impeaching Trump.”

Dershowitz is a lifelong Democrat, but those who've followed his media circuit will already know about his anti-impeachment rhetoric; the book itself is a collection of his musings in print and on television. He's defended President Trump on many occasions, even arguing against the use of a special counsel in the Russia probe.

A must watch: Legal Scholar Alan Dershowitz was just on @foxandfriends talking of what is going on with respect to the greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. political history. Enjoy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2017

Dershowitz's case against impeachment has bewildered many of his colleagues and friends. CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin went head-to-head with him in March, accusing him of “carrying water” for President Trump:

But Dershowitz thinks his position is more nuanced. He told The New Republic:

I'm not an advocate for President Trump, let's be clear. I'm an advocate for civil liberties. I'd be making the exact same point for Hillary Clinton if she were elected president.

Is there a difference between trying to help President Trump and supporting him? We'll discuss.

*Show produced by Amanda Williams, text by Kathryn Fink*.

GUESTS

Alan Dershowitz, Professor Emeritus at Harvard Law School; author of the new book “The Case Against Impeaching Trump” @AlanDersh

Allan Lichtman, Distinguished professor of history at American University; author of the 2017 book “The Case for Impeachment” @AllanLichtman

For more, visit https://the1a.org.

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