Dershowitz Says Trump Should Fear New York Prosecutors, Not Mueller
Alan Dershowitz Image by Getty Images
Lawyer Alan Dershowitz thinks President Trump should be more worried about federal prosecutors in New York than about the Russia investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Dershowitz, an emeritus professor at Harvard Law School and frequent cable news talking head, said Sunday on ABC News’s “This Week” that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York could present a real issue for Trump because the Constitution offers less protection to the president from federal prosecutors than it does from a special counsel.
“I think he has constitutional defenses to the investigation being conducted by Mueller,” Dershowitz said. “But there are no constitutional defenses to what the Southern District is investigating. So, I think the Southern District is the greatest threat.”
Trump’s legal team cites the Constitution as a why Trump won’t meet with Mueller, who is investigating the Russian interference in the 2016 election, as well as potential collusion with the campaign and obstruction of justice.
His situation in New York differs, however, and continues to deepen. Prosecutors there granted immunity last week to Allen Weisselberg, chief financial officer for the Trump Organization, and David Pecker, a longtime Trump ally and executive of the National Enquirer magazine’s parent company.
News of the deals came days after former longtime Trump attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to eight felonies. Cohen said he made the payments at Trump’s direction.
The Cohen case is unlikely to lead to legal consequences for Trump while he’s in office, according to the Post. However, if Democrats take the House in November, impeachment may be on the horizon.
Dershowitz said “it would be great” to have Democrats in power so there could be further investigations.
Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at fisher@forward.com, or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
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