Crime

Alan Dershowitz Says He Thinks He Should've Gotten Epstein A BETTER Deal In Wild Doubling-Down Interview

Bold strategy.

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(Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images for Hulu)

See, this is how you curry favor in the Trump world. As details of the horrific charges against Jeffrey Epstein — details that were mostly sealed up years ago by a compliant federal prosecution — have the world asking serious questions, Alan Dershowitz decided to double down on his role in this disaster while the rest of the lawyers caught up in all this struggle to keep their heads down. Alex Acosta, who hemmed and hawed about his failures as U.S. Attorney in a rambling press conference in an effort to impress Trump into not firing the dead weight of a Labor Secretary, should’ve held off so he could pick up a few pointers from Dershowitz. The president isn’t after excuses, he’s looking for someone to lean in and stick to their guns against all odds, common sense, or basic decency, and that’s what Dershowitz offered up when he went on CBS and told the world that he’d do it all again and suggested that his only lingering regret is, “I would try to get a better deal.”

It’s not that lawyers aren’t supposed to be getting good deals for their clients. Even if the whole process of negotiating deals has become an unsavory and largely unregulated free-for-all where back-scratching deals — like having the U.S. Attorney’s old law firm buddies convince him to look the other way — can make a mockery of the criminal justice system, Dershowitz is offering a “don’t hate the player, hate the game” response that isn’t totally unfair.

But that might not be the message you want to send right now if you’re the player in the middle of what’s becoming an ever-expanding scandal.

Dershowitz also insisted that Epstein’s wealth and power was not the reason he got the deal he did, saying, “I think a lot of people without the power and wealth might’ve gotten a better deal.”

“Because his prominence, his fame made it clear that the prosecution would work very hard to get the best possible deal they could. Look, wealth is a two-edged sword. It helps you put together a very good legal team, but it also puts you in the public eye in a way that makes the prosecution work very hard to get a conviction,” Dershowitz said.

If this represented hard work, then that’s yet another reason Acosta is unfit for any job with the word “Labor” in it.

But taking this opportunity to say that Epstein should’ve gotten a more lenient deal? This is one of those moments where history repeats itself first as an Onion headline then as farce.

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Dershowitz also took some time to address the defamation case against him brought by one of the girls Epstein allegedly trafficked.

Dershowitz also addressed accusations from one of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims Dershowitz was part of Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking operation. Dershowitz vehemently denies Giuffre’s allegations and says he has proof Guiffre is lying. Guiffre is suing him for defamation.

While this “proof” thing sounds interesting, as we’ve previously discussed, Dershowitz is very adamant that he shouldn’t have to show this proof to a jury, having moved to dismiss the defamation claim — that he asked to be brought — on the grounds that he’s been making potentially defamatory claims about her for so many years that any claim is time-barred even if he called her a liar recently. Which is… wow.

“The same woman that accused me claimed to have had dinner with Bill Clinton and two underage girls on Jeffrey Epstein’s island, claimed to have met Al Gore and Tipper Gore. Secret Service records show that all of that is fantasy and made up. This is a woman with a long, long record of lying for money,” Dershowitz said.

Miami Herald reporting indicates that Bill Clinton did visit the island, though Clinton himself says he never has. It’s not like Bill Clinton’s ever been subject to a major inquiry over lying about sex before though…

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Alan Dershowitz, Jeffrey Epstein’s former lawyer, claims plea deal was fair and would do it again [CBS News]

Earlier: Jeffrey Epstein’s Arrest Forces Us To Ask: Which Dirtbag Lawyers In This Case Will Face Their Own Music?
Alex Acosta Just Delivered A Dumpster Fire Of A Press Conference
After Publicly Demanding His Accusers Sue Him, Dershowitz Is Arguing That His Accusers Have No Basis To Sue Him

HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.

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