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

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

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.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount