Schiff decries Dershowitz’s ‘absurdist’ Trump legal defense in Senate impeachment preview

The Washington Times ^ | Sunday, January 19, 2020 | Valerie Richardson

[E. Pluribus Unum]

In a preview of the Senate impeachment trial, House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff tangled Sunday with constitutional law expert Alan Dershowitz, a member of President Trump’s legal team, calling his anti-impeachment argument “absurdist.”

Mr. Dershowitz said he would argue on the Senate floor that even if everything House Democrats allege about President Trump is true, abuse of power does not constitute an impeachable offense, prompting pushback from Mr. Schiff.

“In fact, in the House made exactly the opposite argument, that abuse of power is at the center of what the framers intended an impeachable offense to be,” said Mr. Schiff on ABC’s “This Week.” “The logic of that absurdist position that’s being now adopted by the president is he could give away the state of Alaska, he could withhold execution of sanctions on Russia for interfering in the last election, to induce or coerce Russia to interfere in the next one.”

Mr. Dershowitz, professor emeritus at Harvard Law School, countered in a separate interview by citing the argument made by then-Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Curtis during the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson in 1868.

“[Curtis] argued, very successfully, winning the case, that you needed proof of an actual crime,” said Mr. Dershowitz. “It needn’t be a statutory crime, but it has to be criminal behavior, criminal in nature. And the allegations in the Johnson case were much akin to the allegations here — abusive conduct, obstructive conduct — and that lost.”

He added, “So I am making an argument much like the argument made by the great Justice Curtis. And to call them absurdist is to, you know, insult one of the greatest jurists in American history.”

[nwrep]

Yes, he could actually give away the state of Alaska and it would NOT be impeachable. It would have to be decided by elections.

[TMN78247]

What REALLY is ABSURD is that any person or reasonably normal IQ listens to ANYTHING that BIGOTED, LYING, HATE-FILLED, 100% CORRUPT Adam Schiff claims.

Yours, TMN78247

[Eleutheria5]

Jurisprudence, what wert thou until Schiff. What art thou now?*

*Apologies to Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour Lost, forget what act and scene “Fastidiousness, what weret thou until now? What art thou now?”

[ClearCase_guy]

The legal matters seem insignifiant in this particular case. The reality is that it all boils down to: “We wish Hillary had won, so we’re going to impeach Donald Trump.”

All this talk of crimes, constitutional articles, past court cases, evidence and witnesses — what does any of that have to do with the current impeachment?

[seawolf101]

It is a coup to remove an elected President. If they succeed this country is over.

[Yaelle]

It is so frustrating that Dershowitz gets to keep his “constitutional expert” and “professor emeritus” and the other worshipful titles in the press. He screwed teen Virginia many more times than Prince Andrew did, and other victims have said they were forced to have sex with his creepy emeritus self as well. He should no longer be given respect in the press. Weinstein hasn’t been convicted yet either.

[Sarah Barracuda]

Dear Schiff, the truth about you and Ed Buck will be coming out, sooner than you think..by the way Adam, how is your buddy Ed Buck doing

[databoss]

Legal concepts you don’t understand could certainly be construed by simpletons as absurd.

[JoSixChip]

Mr. Dershowitz said he would argue on the Senate floor that even if everything House Democrats allege about President Trump is true, abuse of power does not constitute an impeachable offense

That's insane, Dershowitz is basically stipulating that what the dems are accusing Trump of is true. I hope Trump's defense team has a better defense than that. This is a senate that stood by and even participated in the non-stop smear of Trump over the last 4 years. The could have investigated the illegal fisa spying of his campaign, the fbi interference of the 2016 election through leaks, the mueller witch hunt including their storm trouper antics, the deep state leaking, the biden's, the ICIG whistle blower, and the list goes on and on. But the only thing they could bring themselves to investigate was Trump JR. Any of those other investigations would have helped Trump and and exposed corruption. But they did not, and are not, investigating any of it. Trump is a single vote away from being removed and at this point anything can happen. I think that too many are not taking what is going on as seriously as we should be. And bolton is still out there begging for the opportunity to damage Trump. Just the mere fact that we are at this stage and after everything that has gone on over the last 4 years tells me that Trump is in real danger here.

[tennmountainman]

1/8 of Dershowitz‘s brain is smarter than Schiff’s entire brain.

[griswold3]

We shouldn’t be arguing about a fantasy. The reality is nothing the Dems stated happened!

[JayGalt]

I don’t believe this for 1 minute. His time is accounted for much as Kavanugh’s was. He was never on the Lolita express. He has sued Virginia & written a book about Guilty until Proven Innocent.

[JayGalt]

https://www.amazon.com/Guilt-Accusation-Challenge-Proving-Innocence/dp/1510757538/

[Bobalu]

[atc23]

More like that since democrats can only win through the courts - “We have to impeach and remove Trump (and Pence) or they’ll have 2-4 more Supreme Court picks before they’re finished. And that fact alone will go a long way toward “fundamentally transforming America”. .

[Bobalu]

Here's a better image..lol

[Daffynition]

Shifty Schiff had better get used to some CHUTZPAH

[Irish Eyes]

Sorry but putting your post in capitals does not turn lies into truth.

[olesigh]

Iirc. Schiff represents Hollywood andburbank. No one there. Cares about his boyfriends