Dershowitz Is Wrong -- Abuse of Power Is Grounds for Impeachment

[BeckyDem]

By
Marjorie Cohn,
Truthout

Published
January 29, 2020

Alan Dershowitz, impeachment defense lawyer for President Trump, claims that abuse of power is not an impeachable offense. But this flies in the face of constitutional law.

Alan Dershowitz, the Harvard emeritus law professor who is serving as a hired gun for Team Trump, is arguing that even if John Bolton testifies that Trump admitted the quid pro quo with Ukraine to him, the Senate could not remove the president from office. Dershowitz has gone so far as to say that even if Trump told Bolton he was withholding the congressionally authorized military aid to Ukraine until it helped him with an investigation of the Bidens, that is still not impeachable conduct.

Contrary to the overwhelming weight of scholarly legal thought, Dershowitz has claimed that “high crimes and misdemeanors” is limited to offenses prohibited by statute. He told senators that abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, for which Trump was impeached, are not grounds for impeachment.

Dershowitz used to take the opposite position. During the Clinton impeachment, Dershowitz said no technical crime was required for impeachment, and abuse of trust could be an impeachable offense. “I didn’t research it” before, he admitted, but now thinks that “criminal type-acts” are necessary.

https://truthout.org/articles/dershowitz-is-wrong-abuse-of-power-is-grounds-for-impeachment/

[Wounded Bear]

1. "Abuse of Power" was the reason impeachment was included in the Constitution...

[BeckyDem]

4. Dershowitz provided the Republicans a hook out of impeachment. If you look at

Senator Lamar's response on the need for witnesses, he is saying no. He is also stating Trump actions were INAPPROPRIATE, but NOT impeachable.

It is stunning to see what an ego Alan has but he knows his audience too, a bunch of sociopaths hoping for a way out for Trump. He delivered!

[struggle4progress]

2. "I'm just being careful in case someone has photos of me not wearing my underwear"

[unblock]

3. his argument wasn't a defense because he knew donnie was never going to be removed.

the entire point of every republican statement at the trial or about the trial has been made assuming the outcome was known.

every statement has been about the politics after non-conviction.

here, derpowitz was pushing the enabling act, turning this non-conviction into blanket permission for donnie to do whatever he wants.

he was pushing for an end to all oversight for republican presidents, period.

he was trying to turn any republican presidency into a dictatorship.

[BeckyDem]

5. He gave them their excuse, as pathetic as it is, yes.

[JustAnotherGen]

6. He used to be wrong

Our Republic has fallen. It's over.

[BeckyDem]

8. It is on shaky ground and we have to be vigilant this coming fall.

I have hope we will get through this and beat back more Republicans at the polls. This is not just about Trump, he has too many enabling him.

[Coleman]

7. Yes he is wrong and he knows it. But he is a lawyer hired to defend a client

if you can't find something to defend the client, make something up. Lie, cheat, destroy your reputation (even though he has been doing that for some time). And his latest absurd rationalizing about if you believe winning the election will benefit the country, then you can do anything will be in all the new law books as the dumbest thing a defense lawyer has ever said.

[BeckyDem]

9. I can't know his motives, but he made this choice on his own.

[C_U_L8R]

10. He's on with Ari right now

Lying his ass off - looking like he's sucking on sour shitballs.