As Ed pointed out yesterday, Alan Dershowitz published a piece in the Hill calling for an end to Robert Mueller’s investigation on the grounds that a special counsel should never have been appointed. Here’s a sample:
There are leaks galore followed by denials of leaks. It’s a total mess. And what do we have to show for it? Just a handful of low-level indictments based largely on alleged crimes that are either unrelated or only marginally related to Russia’s attempt to influence our presidential election in 2016.
Dershowitz went on to argue that the special counsel was not the right vehicle for public fact-finding and should be shut down. That argument was a hit with President Trump who tweeted this yesterday not based on the Hill piece but based on Dershowitz’ appearance on Lou Dobbs’ show:
“Special Council is told to find crimes, whether a crime exists or not. I was opposed to the selection of Mueller to be Special Council. I am still opposed to it. I think President Trump was right when he said there never should have been a Special Council appointed because…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 21, 2018
…there was no probable cause for believing that there was any crime, collusion or otherwise, or obstruction of justice!” So stated by Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 21, 2018
When Dershowitz appeared on CNN last night to make the same argument, i.e. that the special counsel is the wrong approach to dealing with Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election. That was apparently too much for CNN analyst Jeffrey Toobin who lashed out during the interview.
“How has this come about that in every situation over the past year you have been carrying water for Donald Trump? This is not who you used to be and you are doing this over and over again in situations that are just obviously ripe with conflict of interest. It’s just like, what’s happened to you?” Toobin demanded.
“What conflict of interest?” Dershowitz asked.
“Not you, I’m talking about not your conflicts of interest, these conflicts of interest,” Toobin clarified, referring to conflicts of interest that would prevent AG Sessions from prosecuting Michael Flynn.
“I attacked President Trump for his banning of Muslims,” Dershowitz responded. He continued, “I attacked President Trump for leaking material about…to Russia. I have attacked President Trump for many things. I’m not carrying any water. I’m saying exactly the same thing I’ve said for 50 years and Jeffrey you ought to know that you were my student. I have never deviated from this.
“I have never deviated from this point. The fact that it applies to Trump now rather than applying to Bill Clinton is why people like you have turned against me. Don’t you understand that principle requires bipartisanship and non-partisanship? And that’s who I am and have always been.”
The CNN’s version of the clip ends there giving Dershowitz the last word, but the beat down of Toobin actually continued the full clip.
Translation: “You’re a liberal. Why aren’t you on the lying liberal bandwagon criticizing everything Trump does and showing your liberal hypocrisy every day, like us?”