Nancy Pelosi recently made the rounds claiming victory over Trump regardless of the outcome in the Senate because Trump is now “impeached for life” or “impeached forever.”
Not so, says famed Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz. According to Dershowitz, “Nancy Pelosi doesn’t understand what impeachment is. What she has said is, even if the president is acquitted, the impeachment stands. No!” he explained to Sean Hannity on Fox News. “That’s like saying that, if a person is indicted and the jury acquits 12-0 in five minutes, he’s still indicted. No!”
Dershowitz will be presenting oral arguments at the Senate trial to address the constitutional arguments against impeachment and Trump’s removal from office. In a recent statement regarding his role in the upcoming trial, Dershowitz described himself as nonpartisan “when it comes to the constitution,” noting that he “opposed the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and voted for Hillary Clinton,” however he “believes the issues at stake go to the heart of our enduring Constitution.”
“If Pelosi maintains that impeachment is an end in and of itself, you need full due process,” Dershowitz added. “You need an adversarial system. You can’t go and announce that he’s been impeached and it’ll be impeachment hanging over his head the rest of his life.”
Dershowitz believes “the debate over witnesses is premature.”
“First, the Senate should decide, is there a case? If this were a criminal case, I’d be making a motion to dismiss. You do not need witnesses if my view prevails. You don’t need documents. You get right to the vote and you acquit.”
Later on Laura Ingraham’s show, he addressed the issue of John Bolton’s desire to testify and executive privilege. “If John Bolton is dying to testify, that’s not his decision,” he said. “That is the president’s decision. If Congress did not like it, they go to the courts. The court decides and that is how the decision is resolved.”
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