Dershowitz, who is working on President TrumpDonald John TrumpCNN’s Don Lemon explains handling of segment after Trump criticismNPR reporter after Pompeo clash: Journalists don’t interview government officials to score ‘political points’Lawyer says Parnas can’t attend Senate trial due to ankle braceletMORE’s legal team, was asked by Sen. Ted CruzRafael (Ted) Edward CruzCruz scolds reporter who brought up his daughtersCan Democrats flip the Texas House? Today’s result will provide a clueRepublicans show little enthusiasm for impeachment witness swapMORE (R-Texas) if it matters whether there was a quid pro quo in Trump’s dealings with Ukraine at the heart of his impeachment trial.
“The only thing that would make a quid pro quo unlawful is if the quo were in some way illegal,” said Dershowitz, who is an opinion contributor for The Hill.
“For it to be impeachable you would have to discern that he or she made a decision solely … on the corrupt motives,” he added. “And it cannot be a corrupt motive if you have a mixed motive.”
Trump attorney Alan Dershowitz: “If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment.” https://t.co/jKErQcS1Iypic.twitter.com/zo4rL6Zbla
ABC News (@ABC) January 29, 2020
Dershowtiz went on to assert that if a president believed they were acting in the public interest, their motive could not be corrupt. He noted that “every public official I know” believes their election is in the public interest.
“If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment,” Dershowitz said.
The response reiterated
Dershowitz’s broader argument that the articles of impeachment against Trump do not allege a crime, and therefore don’t meet the threshold for removal from office. Dershowitz’s position on the issue is widely disputed by the broader legal community.
Democrats have alleged Trump abused his office by withholding security aid from Ukraine in an effort to pressure the country to help investigate his political rivals.
Former national security adviser John BoltonJohn BoltonTrump allies throw jabs at Bolton over book’s claimsGOP confident of win on witnessesGiuliani calls Bolton a ‘backstabber’ over Ukraine allegationsMORE reportedly wrote in his forthcoming memoir that Trump said last August he did not want to release aid for Ukraine unless the country agreed to help with the investigations he wanted.
Dershowitz, in another noteworthy moment from the trial, argued Monday that, even if true, Bolton’s allegations did not amount to an impeachable offense.
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