Harvard Law School Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz described Robert Mueller’s Wednesday statement — in which the former FBI director implied that President Donald Trump might have committed obstruction of justice — as a “political gift” for “radicals” among Democrats “seeking to institute impeachment proceedings” against the president.
Dershowitz wrote at the Hill:
[Robert Mueller] went beyond the conclusion of his report and gave a political gift to Democrats in Congress who are seeking to institute impeachment proceedings against President Trump. By implying that President Trump might have committed obstruction of justice, Mueller effectively invited Democrats to institute impeachment proceedings. Obstruction of justice is a “high crime and misdemeanor” which, under the Constitution, authorizes impeachment and removal of the president.
Dershowitz previously rejected descriptions of Mueller’s conduct as partisan. He also accepted assumptions of good faith on behalf of Mueller’s ostensible investigation of claims of “the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election” but has now changed his mind about the former Obama official’s impartiality:
Kansas City barbecue restaurant prepares for World Cup tourism rush
Feds seize $6.4M worth of cocaine aboard oil tanker at Port of Los Angeles, arrest suspected cartel smuggler
‘Illicit’ version of fentanyl linked to deadly New Mexico incident that sickened first responders
High school teacher who allegedly had sex with student in closet now faces charges involving more teens
Military families demand DOJ distribute nearly $800M from French cement company found guilty of bribing ISIS
Children’s YouTube Superstar Announces the Death of His 14-Year-Old Son
Kyle Busch 911 Call Released, Shedding New Light on His Shocking Death
Way harder than it should be: Why Congress may balk on $1.7B compensation fund
Trump announces highest civilian honor for 9/11 hero remembered as the ‘Man in the Red Bandana’
New Jersey Officials Say the Mafia Is Thriving Again as Tech-Savvy Mobsters Take Crime Online
Sheridan Gorman’s parents say protecting children from failed immigration policies isn’t a one-party fight
DOJ vows to appeal after judge dismisses smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia as ‘vindictive’
Police: Men Executed Florida Firefighter for a Pair of Nikes and an iPhone, Gloated About It
Grady Judd puts parents on notice over TikTok teen takeovers: ‘We’re gonna come lock you up too’
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani releases audit accusing federal immigration agents of misleading tactics
Until today, I have defended Mueller against the accusations that he is a partisan. I did not believe that he personally favored either the Democrats or the Republicans, or had a point of view on whether President Trump should be impeached. But I have now changed my mind. By putting his thumb, indeed his elbow, on the scale of justice in favor of impeachment based on obstruction of justice, Mueller has revealed his partisan bias. He also has distorted the critical role of a prosecutor in our justice system. [emphasis added]
Prosecutors are not in a position to determine anyone’s guilt or innocence, noted Dershowitz, recalling the presumption of innocence and reminding readers that determinations of guilt or innocence within America’s justice system require a “full adversarial trial with a zealous defense attorney, vigorous cross examination, exclusionary rules of evidence, and other due process safeguards.”
Dershowitz assessed:
No prosecutor should ever say or do anything for the purpose of helping one party or the other. I cannot imagine a plausible reason why Mueller went beyond his report and gratuitously suggested that President Trump might be guilty, except to help Democrats in Congress and to encourage impeachment talk and action. Shame on Mueller for abusing his position of trust and for allowing himself to be used for such partisan advantage.
Story cited here.
