.@AlanDersh: “Nothing was violated if and when Donald Trump and the campaign ‘colluded’ with the Russians.” pic.twitter.com/EXuEM1Dbc2
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 4, 2017
Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz fought it out on Twitter Sunday after saying Trump campaign collusion wouldn’t have been a crime. It started, as many fights do, with an appearance on Fox News. He appeared on Fox and Friends, attacking the Mueller probe and also the allegation that Hillary Clinton rigged the primary with the Democratic National Committee. His argument: There’s no statute criminalizing the behaviors, so there’s no crime. Someone might do something wrong, but that doesn’t mean it’s illegal.
“The difference between outrage and criminality has to be kept sharp,” he said. “Otherwise, anything you disagree with, if you’re the people in power, you can go after your political enemies.”
Cue outrage.
This is called moving the goal posts. And yes it fucking did violate the law, the constitution and basic American values.
— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) November 4, 2017
Dershowitz responded to this first.
The only fed statute that punishes “collusion “ to my knowledge is the antitrust law. You can’t just make up crimes against Trump or Clinton https://t.co/zHe8c2T78z
— Alan Dershowitz (@AlanDersh) November 5, 2017
Next up on Dershowitz’s radar: Renato Mariotti, a Democratic candidate for Illinois attorney general.
“How do you know, @AlanDersh?” he wrote. “Are you reviewing the evidence alongside Mueller’s team? Stop making stuff up.”
One again, Dershowitz responded.
“Collusion is not a crime no matter how much evidence there might be,” he wrote. “Neither is collusion with the DNC a crime.”
CNN contributor and former Clinton campaign press secretary Brian Fallon also attacked Dershowitz for allegedly downplaying the allegation that the Trump campaign helped out in Russian interference efforts in the 2016 election.
“Dershowitz calling for the Mueller probe to be shut down is adequate basis to wonder whether Trump is paying him,” he wrote.
Dershowitz was not pleased with this tweet. He said neither Trump nor Clinton was paying him, and said that he saw no evidence that either committed a crime.
“How low can you get to suggest I’m being paid for saying what I’ve been saying for 50 years,” he shot back. “Shame on you.”
Another Harvard law professor also stepped up: Laurence Tribe, who has repeatedly argued that the president committed impeachable offenses.
This is just ridiculous. Alan is much smarter than this sounds. Maybe he thinks it’s April Fools Day? Surely he jests. https://t.co/TFNB5tQQRf
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) November 5, 2017
Dershowitz responded to him last:
What statute criminalizes collusion? W/d not be a crime for Trump to collude w/ Russia or Clinton w/ DNC. Stop accusing each other of crimes https://t.co/suvoVWx13W
— Alan Dershowitz (@AlanDersh) November 5, 2017
Is “collusion” illegal? Depends on what’s being alleged. The question popped up when Donald J. Trump Jr., a figure in his father’s candidacy, admitted to meeting with a Russian lawyer for “dirt” on Clinton. It’s possible that he broke a campaign finance law by soliciting “a thing of value” from a foreign national, but he has access to at least one defense.
[Screengrab via Fox News]
