WEBVTT - Alan Dershowitz--A Principled Man.  The A&G Interview.

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<v Speaker 1>When you're ready to ride Metro, we want you to

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<v Speaker 1>Find out more at well nota dot com slash doing

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<v Speaker 1>our part, Speaking of truth telling, it's a great pleasure

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<v Speaker 1>to welcome back to the Armstrong and Getty Show. Allen Dershwitz, lawyer,

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<v Speaker 1>Harvard law professor, author, commentator, etcetera. Mr Dershwitz, how are you, sir?

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<v Speaker 1>I'm doing great. How are you? Thank you? It's good

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<v Speaker 1>to talk. So, before we get into the case against

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<v Speaker 1>impeaching Trump, how much does it bother you that you

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<v Speaker 1>are an anomaly in that you are willing to just

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<v Speaker 1>apply what you see is the truth of the law,

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<v Speaker 1>regardless of party. In other words, you don't put a

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<v Speaker 1>partisan slant on things that that really I try very

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<v Speaker 1>hard to do that every single day. Obviously you do too.

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<v Speaker 1>But I think we're you know, we're we're like unicorns.

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<v Speaker 1>It's very hard to do that. But you know, I

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<v Speaker 1>don't think we'll unicorns my book, The Case against the

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<v Speaker 1>Teaching Trump has become a man a time settella, which

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<v Speaker 1>means people are reading. People I think want to hear

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<v Speaker 1>all sides of the issue. I think a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>academics and university professors so they want they know the truth,

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<v Speaker 1>and they want to shut down debate. They want to

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<v Speaker 1>save spaces and triggle mind. But I think the average

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<v Speaker 1>American wants the rual side of issue, and they're able

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<v Speaker 1>to do it. And you know that's why I just

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<v Speaker 1>recommend beat the book. It's a hundred fifty pages. If

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<v Speaker 1>you disagree with it, fine, but you know, maybe I'll

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<v Speaker 1>persuade you, maybe you'll persuade me. But here on Month's Vineyard,

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<v Speaker 1>people are saying, no, no no, no, we don't We don't

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<v Speaker 1>even want to hear what you have to say because

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<v Speaker 1>it might benefit Trump, and anything that's benefits Trump is

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<v Speaker 1>something we don't want to hear. We don't even want

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<v Speaker 1>to allow it to be heard. At the attitude here

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<v Speaker 1>on Month's Vineyard among some people, well, given the vagueness

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<v Speaker 1>of the Constitution in terms of what is an impeachable offense.

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<v Speaker 1>Give us the longest short of your theory. Well, I

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<v Speaker 1>don't think it's that vague. It says, you know, we

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<v Speaker 1>rejected the notion of maladministration as grounds for impeachment and

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<v Speaker 1>instead required that they'd be convictioned by the Senate two

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<v Speaker 1>thirds of a crime, either treason, bribery, or other high

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<v Speaker 1>crimes and misdemeanors. Those are all crimes. And so I

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<v Speaker 1>think you have to prove that a president actively engaged

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<v Speaker 1>in a crime before you can impeach. And we can

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<v Speaker 1>impeach them because you disagree with what he said at

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<v Speaker 1>a press conference in Helsinki, which I disagree with. You

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<v Speaker 1>can't do it because you don't like his policies on

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<v Speaker 1>the border or separating families. It has to find a crime,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's where I disagree with many of my colleagues,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think I lay at the argument very carefully,

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<v Speaker 1>and the crime has to be a high crime, not

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<v Speaker 1>a low crime. So I think Clinton was not properly

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<v Speaker 1>impeached of Bill Clinton because his crime was a low crime. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>It's interesting to Hamilton's in his own life. Hamilton was

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<v Speaker 1>one of the drafters and he wrote The Federalist paper

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<v Speaker 1>about impeachment. He himself committed a low crime. He paid

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<v Speaker 1>extortion to prevent an adulteress affair from being made public,

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<v Speaker 1>but he didn't use public funds. He issued a statement

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<v Speaker 1>to that effect, admitting it. But the reason is because

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<v Speaker 1>if he had used public funds as a Treasury secretary,

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<v Speaker 1>it would have been a high crime. But using his

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<v Speaker 1>own funds to cover up adultery, he was a low crime,

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<v Speaker 1>not impeachable. And that's why he was prepared to make

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<v Speaker 1>that distinction. And it's a distinction that I think is

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<v Speaker 1>made in the Constitution. And it certainly seems like we

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<v Speaker 1>should be worried about a precedent that it would set

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<v Speaker 1>if Democrats take control of Congress and do impeach President Trump,

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<v Speaker 1>whether he's convicted or not, that we've just, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>lowered the bar for what we consider impeachable. I think

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<v Speaker 1>that's right, and I always try to impose on myself

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<v Speaker 1>and others the shoelan, the other Pook test, if the

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<v Speaker 1>shore run the other foot, Hillary Clinton, what position it

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<v Speaker 1>would he be taking. I know what position I'd be taking,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think everybody has to meet that challenge. I

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<v Speaker 1>wrote a book cuotes the fame Injustice and Zomigo in

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<v Speaker 1>the Supreme Court wrote versus Bush versus Gore, and which

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<v Speaker 1>I said, if it had been Gore versus Bush, if

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<v Speaker 1>the show had been on the other foot, I think

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<v Speaker 1>the case probably would have done out differently. And that's

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<v Speaker 1>not the way the Supreme Court or the Congress should behave.

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<v Speaker 1>There should be a single test, no matter who the

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<v Speaker 1>president is. Alan Dershowitz on the line, you said in

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<v Speaker 1>the last day or so that the Justice Department really

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<v Speaker 1>ill served the president by coming out with the indictment

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<v Speaker 1>of the Russian UH spooks right before the meeting in Healthinki.

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<v Speaker 1>What do you mean by that? Well, I think well,

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<v Speaker 1>I think that Justice Corman should say at a politics

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<v Speaker 1>instead of foreign policy, it was absolutely no reason to

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<v Speaker 1>have the indictment come down just before the President went

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<v Speaker 1>to have a meeting with Prudent. It would have been

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<v Speaker 1>far far better and nobody would have lost anything if

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<v Speaker 1>the indictment came down today or next week. And the

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<v Speaker 1>indictment is a show indictment, nobody's everything to be brought

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<v Speaker 1>to trial. Uh. These folks, that twelve of them, are

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<v Speaker 1>not going to come to Disneyland and allow themselves to

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<v Speaker 1>be served and arrested, and they're not going to be extraduised,

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<v Speaker 1>so we'll never know what the proof is, what the

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<v Speaker 1>evid this will never know whether they would want or

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<v Speaker 1>lost the case. And indictment is just a charge. And remember,

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<v Speaker 1>as a judge of New York one said, a prosecutor

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<v Speaker 1>can get grandeur do indict a ham sandwich. So let's

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<v Speaker 1>not place too much weight on an indictment that will

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<v Speaker 1>never come to trial. The book is The Case Against

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<v Speaker 1>Impeaching Trump by Alan Dershowitz, And you're making that argument.

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<v Speaker 1>But I read an interview the other day in which

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<v Speaker 1>you laundry listed the Trump policies you don't agree with,

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<v Speaker 1>and it seemed it was practically every Trump policy that

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<v Speaker 1>exists you don't agree with. Yet you wrote a book

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<v Speaker 1>like this. What is that causing you any stress in

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<v Speaker 1>your personal life? The people are saying, dude, what are

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<v Speaker 1>you doing? Yeah, it does, and people are attacking me

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<v Speaker 1>and saying, you know, if you're uh Clinton person against Trump,

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<v Speaker 1>you shouldn't be writing this book. Well, you know, I

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<v Speaker 1>have to write this book. All my life. I defended

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<v Speaker 1>people I disagreed with. I defended the rights of Nazister

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<v Speaker 1>and Marks, there's skip Illinois. I defended communist when I

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<v Speaker 1>was a college student. You know, I hated and still

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<v Speaker 1>hate communism. Um. So it's been my life to defend

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<v Speaker 1>principles and not to ask myself whether I like or

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<v Speaker 1>support the person about whom the principle will to whom

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<v Speaker 1>the principle is being applied. So I think, I think

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<v Speaker 1>that I think that is more important to me anyway

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<v Speaker 1>into the national discussion than anything you write, the fact

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<v Speaker 1>that you're going with principles as opposed to your partisan leanings. Amen.

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<v Speaker 1>I tried very hard to apply to myself. I hope

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<v Speaker 1>everybody applies that to themselves, because our Constitution was written

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<v Speaker 1>not for Democrats or Republicans, not for black or white,

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<v Speaker 1>not for you or than as a Southern, as recurring

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<v Speaker 1>for everybody, and we have to apply it equally to everybody.

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<v Speaker 1>And that's the shoe on the other foot test that

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<v Speaker 1>I always apply to myself and to others well, just too.

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<v Speaker 1>In the very few seconds we have left to return

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<v Speaker 1>to Jack's question of a moment ago, does anybody actually

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<v Speaker 1>refer to you as dude at this point in your life? Ellen, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>oh Man. Alan Dershowitz, lawyer, and Harvard law professor. We

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<v Speaker 1>know you're pressed for time, but we appreciate the conversation

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<v Speaker 1>very much. Hope we can do it again. The book,

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<v Speaker 1>The Case against Impeaching Trump, It's say it's a good

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<v Speaker 1>solid helping of truth without uh in principle, without worrying

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<v Speaker 1>about partisanship. Great to talk, Thank you, Thank you so much.

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<v Speaker 1>The shoe is on the other foot. Test that is

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<v Speaker 1>what you have to do. Absolutely, God, dang it. I

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<v Speaker 1>think he I think. I think the reason it's the

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<v Speaker 1>best selling book though, is a bunch of people who

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<v Speaker 1>really like Donald Trump and wouldn't apply this same principle

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<v Speaker 1>to Hillary right are buying the book. Politics is a

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<v Speaker 1>stilly business and ugly. Marshall's News is next on the

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<v Speaker 1>Armstrong and Getty Show. When you're ready to ride Metro,

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<v Speaker 1>we want you to know we're ready for you. Here

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<v Speaker 1>are just a few of the people at Metro to

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<v Speaker 1>We're cleaning before you've found halfs out of suns of

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<v Speaker 1>statist no mask, no metro need on. We have a

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<v Speaker 1>few extras at Metro. We're doing our part to keep

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<v Speaker 1>the d C area moving. Find out more at will

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<v Speaker 1>Not a dot com slash doing our part