Alan Dershowitz's latest defense of Trump would let presidents get away with almost anything

Alan Dershowitz’s latest defense of Trump would let presidents get away with almost anything

Trump’s lawyer argued that anything the president does to stay in power is unimpeachable, short of actual crimes.

By Aaron Rupar at Vox  Jan 29, 2020, 4:30pm EST

https://www.vox.com/2020/1/29/21114013/alan-dershowitz-trump-defense-quid-pro-quos-not-impeachable

"SNIP.....

One of the defenses presented by one of Trump’s lawyers during Wednesday’s portion of the Senate impeachment trial stood out from the others — big time.

That’s because it would give presidents almost unlimited power to pervert foreign policy into dirty tricks aimed at boosting their political prospects by defining anything they do to stay in office as part of the national interest.

In response to a Republican senator’s question about whether it’s true that “quid pro quos are often used in foreign policy,” Alan Dershowitz argued they are. But he then went a step further and made a case that even quid pro quos that most everyone would agree are unacceptable aren’t impeachable offenses.

“If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment,” Dershowitz said.

.....SNIP"