Longtime trial attorney and legal analyst Alan Dershowitz described the Manhattan “hush money” verdict against former President Donald Trump as one of the most absurd he has seen throughout his 60-year legal career.
“From a pure legal perspective, how sound was this verdict?” host Piers Morgan asked Dershowitz, who was joined on a panel by a number of conservative and liberal commentators.
“On a, from one to ten, it was a below 20. It’s the worst legal verdict I’ve seen in 60 years of practicing, writing, litigating cases,” Dershowitz answered without even hesitating. “It’s now days since the verdict. I still don’t know what he was convicted of. Was he convicted of intent cheat on his taxes two years later, although he didn’t take it as a deduction? Was he convicted of defrauding voters who obviously knew that he was a sexual scoundrel? Was he convicted of seeking to make an illegal campaign contribution, although the contribution didn’t have to be listed until after the election.”
“I have never seen a case where even after the verdict came down, we don’t know what he was convicted of. No one in history, in history, has ever been convicted of failing to disclose hush money payment paid to somebody. Why would anybody pay hush money if they had to disclose it?” Dershowitz told the panel. “This is a case where the prosecutor simply decided to get Trump.”
A longtime Democrat, Dershowitz went on to stress that he is not a Trump supporter. “I’m not a Trump supporter. I voted against him. I’m a liberal Democrat, but I care more about the weaponization and distortion the weaponization and distortion of the criminal justice system,” he said.
WATCH:
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records by duplicating the same offense 34 times, one for each instance. While falsifying business records is typically a misdemeanor, defendants can face felony charges if prosecutors allege that the falsification was done to conceal another crime.
See also: Dual Justice System: Another Former Trump Official Ordered To Prison
Even though Trump has been convicted, Bragg’s office still hasn’t identified the underlying crime. Additionally, Judge Juan Merchan informed jurors that they don’t need to concur on the nature of the supposed underlying crime.
Recently polled Republicans are now in favor of allowing convicted felons to become president, with more than triple the percentage from a similar poll in April. On May 31, YouGov conducted its first poll on the political support of felons following the conviction of Trump. The sharp rise in support is both stunning and not at all surprising. The details of the poll were shared by the Political Polls account on social media.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.