Bush's Chief Ethics Lawyer Admonishes Trump Administration for Alan Dershowitz Consultations

‘Insane’: Bush’s Chief Ethics Lawyer Admonishes Trump Administration for Alan Dershowitz Consultations

by Jerry Lambe | 3:05 pm, July 13th, 2019

The former Chief White House ethics lawyer for George W. Bush harshly criticized the Trump administration Saturday morning for its decision to consult with Harvard Law School professor and perennial Trump-defender Alan Dershowitz while constructing its Middle East peace plan, instead of seeking the advice of seasoned diplomats.

The administration’s highly anticipated “Peace to Prosperity” plan, unveiled last month by Senior White House advisor Jared Kushner, predominantly blamed instability in the region on the failures of the Palestinian government while calling for $50 billion investment in the Palestinian economy over a ten year period.

“This is insane,” Richard W. Painter wrote in a tweet Saturday morning. “Instead of consulting experienced diplomats and experts in the State Department, Trump turns to [Alan Dershowitz] who knows nothing about Middle East policy. Dumb.”

The plan was presented during a two-day summit in Bahrain, which Palestinian leaders chose not to attend, and has been widely panned by critics as a one-sided policy skewed toward favoring Israel’s national economic and political interests.

According to Foreign Policy Magazine, Palestinian officials rejected the plan “out of hand,” claiming the Trump administration was trying to normalize the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and accusing it of attempting to “liquidate the Palestinian cause in return for a handful of dollars.”

Dershowitz doubled-down on the administration’s reasoning while defending the “Peace to Prosperity” plan last month.

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https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/insane-bushs-chief-ethics-lawyer-admonishes-trump-administration-for-alan-dershowitz-consultations/