Alan Dershowitz Claims Cohen Plea ‘Not Lethal.’ Not Even Tucker Carlson’s Buying It.
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Dave Goldiner August 22, 2018
Alan Dershowitz is claiming that the bombshell admission by Michael Cohen that President Trump directed him to pay hush money to two women in the days leading up to the election is not as “deadly as it is being portrayed.”
Dersh: Days events “not nearly as deadly lethal as some have portrayed it as being.” pic.twitter.com/L7rPsPhzx7
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) August 22, 2018
Appearing on the friendly confines of Fox News, the legal eagle turned Trump mouthpiece opined that pundits are making too much of the fact that Trump’s longtime trusted lawyer implicated the president in a scheme to evade federal campaign laws.
“It’s certainly not as deadly, lethal,” Dershowitz said.
Host Tucker Carlson looked perplexed by Dershowitz’s assessment of the potential problems posed by Cohen’s sworn claim and the likelihood he will spill more dirt to prosecutors.
“It’s certainly difficult to understand,” Carlson offered, perhaps trying to help millions of Trump supporters feel better about the brutal afternoon that including a jury’s finding ex-Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort guilty on tax evasion and fraud charges.
Dershowitz began the discussion by playing down the significance that prosecutors may name Trump as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Cohen case. Cohen says Trump ordered him to pay hush money to a porn star and a Playboy model to keep them quiet about alleged affairs.
The retired Harvard Law professor opined that it would be “very unfair” if prosecutors do that and pooh-poohed the implications of such a move. Without a hint of irony, Dershowitz noted that the same step was taken against Richard Nixon, who resigned in disgrace to avoid being impeached.
Some political analysts believe such a decision by prosecutors could lead to Congress starting impeachment proceedings against Trump, especially if Democrats retake Congress in the midterm elections.
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