Trump, Barr, and Dershowitz – Nothing New Under the Sun

Another day, another uproar emanating from leftists over presidential actions they say are immoral, if not illegal. These so-called egregious deeds by the president warrant an investigation. Yes, another investigation. The person standing up to counter this accusation is an incongruous suspect: lawyer and academic Alan Dershowitz.

At issue is whether President Donald Trump was out of line in seeking a lighter sentence for his former campaign adviser Roger Stone. In a mass protest, 1,100 former Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors have called for Attorney General William Barr’s head on a platter. But in seeking to make a John the Baptist out of Barr, Dershowitz -- a constitutional and criminal scholar – is going public to remind Americans of another biblical tenet:

There is nothing new under the sun.

Dershowitz recently waxed eloquent about the history of influence presidents have long held with the DOJ going back to the days of Thomas Jefferson. This is not a new theme from the legal scholar. In 2017, as reported by PolitiFact, Dershowitz said the president has a “constitutional authority to tell the Justice Department who to investigate, who not to investigate. That's what Thomas Jefferson did, that's what Lincoln did, that's what Roosevelt did. We have precedents that clearly establish that."

The business of a president issuing directives to his attorney general, asserts Dershowitz, is typical and often utilized. While legal eagles on the left like to dispute Dershowitz’s statement, the gravitas of the Harvard law professor makes his claim worth exploring. There was a close and obvious connection between John Kennedy and his brother Robert, selected to be the president’s attorney general. It would strain credulity to contend that JFK and RFK didn’t work in tandem on many a DOJ issue during the Kennedy administration. “I don’t think we saw very many liberal professors arguing against that,” Dershowitz averred.

While stating that “it’s wrong,” Dershowitz broadened his argument by maintaining, “People whisper to presidents all the time; presidents whisper to the Justice Department all the time. It's very common.”

As well Professor Dershowitz pitched out a tantalizing and as-yet-substantiated conflict regarding President Barack Obama, who “personally asked the FBI to investigate somebody on behalf of George Soros.” In an interview on Sirius XM radio, the constitutional lawyer claimed to have the goods on Obama but refused to release them, saying that his information is part of a yet-to-be-filed lawsuit.

Wingmen Past and Present

So, if Kennedy’s wingman was his brother and Mr. Obama’s was Eric Holder, why now the hue and cry over the Trump-Barr connection? Could it be because Mr. Trump is more open about his intentions? Would it be safe to say Mr. Trump’s method of communicating with his AG is what has stirred up such madness? For sure, Kennedy, Lincoln, Jefferson, and even Obama didn’t tweet attorney general directives into the public square.

There are times when President Trump’s lack of political experience has hurt him. He tends to shoot from the hip verbally and ask questions later. The president does not come off as one who whispers a lot. Perhaps that is what supporters see as part of his charm. This is a man who is out there with his words and deeds, and this doesn’t play well in the Swamp. But when it comes right down to it, it’s entirely possible the president doesn’t care all that much what the Swampsters and chattering class have to say so long as they spell his name right. Or maybe the president instinctively knows that many Americans appreciate his transparency and that, in the end, what those in the Swamp think doesn’t matter nearly as much as what those in the North, South, and heartland of America say at the voting booth on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.

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Read more from Leesa K. Donner.