Alan Dershowitz Is Losing His Mind Over Potential Trump Arrest

Why is Dershowitz mad about a potential Trump indictment? The Bible, of course.

alan dershowitz

(Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images for Hulu)

Donald Trump hasn’t even been arrested, yet, but that doesn’t mean we’ve been spared from the outrage news cycle. Trump himself is stirring it up, claiming his arrest is scheduled for today and using that to ask for donations from his supporters. But just because we don’t know what the indictment will contain (because it hasn’t happened yet), doesn’t stop legal commentators from commenting on it.

The once-respected legal mind of Alan Dershowitz went on the Charlie Kirk YouTube show yesterday comparing the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to the KGB, claiming a potential arrest is a violation of “core American values,” that is “actually a violation of the Bible”:

ALAN DERSHOWITZ (GUEST): Without a doubt. There was the South American dictator who said, for my friends, everything, for my enemies, the law. You can use the law to get anybody as Justice Jackson said. Or as the KGB head said, show me the man and I’ll find you the crime. This is the worst example in my 60 years of practicing criminal law, of targeting somebody for prosecution and then rummaging through the books, giving people immunity and trying to concoct a crime that doesn’t exist. And if this is allowed to succeed, none of our liberties is safe. You know, today it’s a Republican who’s a target, tomorrow it’s a Democrat. And the day after tomorrow, it’s your Uncle Charlie or your nephew or your niece. There’d be no limits on what prosecutors can do to their political enemies. They’re going to do it to people who are running against them for DA next. And it’s just such a violation, not only a violation of American law and civil liberties, it’s actually a violation of the Bible. The Bible instructs judges two things: don’t take bribes, that’s obvious. But the number one thing is don’t recognize faces. And that’s —

KIRK: That’s exactly right. Yes, yes. Do not favor anyone in a court. Yes, that’s exactly right. Yes. Continue. Sorry.

DERSHOWITZ: No, that’s — and that’s why it violates every core of American values. So, I — this is one of the worst prosecutions I have ever seen. Believe me, I’ve seen some bad prosecutions, some good ones. I’ve seen guilty people acquitted and innocent people convicted. But I’ve never quite seen a prosecution like this, where you had to staple together two unrelated statutes, one federal, one state, violate the statute of limitations, violate the rule of law, and concoct a crime.

Sigh. It seems Dershowitz has his often-discussed underwear in a knot over the whole matter. And while it’s entertaining to ponder what charges Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg may be cooking up for the former president (Asha Rangappa’s chart on this is excellent, btw), we are still stuck in a waiting game.


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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.

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