Alan Dershowitz tells Newsmax Trump's defense lawyer is bombing
Add Alan Dershowitz to the list of people who have "no idea" what former President Donald Trump's lawyer was doing during his impeachment trial opening argument.
Dershowitz, who was a member of Trump's defense team during his first impeachment trial, spoke with the conservative network Newsmax on Tuesday in the middle of remarks from defense lawyer Bruce Castor, and he panned the opening for its seeming lack of a clear point.
"There is no argument," Dershowitz, who shook his head as Newsmax cut to him, said. "I have no idea what he's doing. I have no idea why he's saying what he's saying."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Dershowitz seemed particularly bewildered by the amount of time Castor spent praising lawmakers, as when he declared that senators are "extraordinary people" and "patriots." The meandering remarks sparked confusion among pundits as to what Castor was going for, though some Trump allies claimed he was executing an intentional strategy to "reduce the emotion in the room," as The New York Times' Maggie Haberman wrote.
But Dershowitz told Newsmax, "I just don't understand it. Maybe he'll bring it home. But right now, it does not appear to me to be effective advocacy ... It's not the kind of argument I would have made, I have to tell you that." Newsmax host Bob Sellers sounded equally confused, asking of Trump's lawyer, "Is he forgetting that this is on TV?" Brendan Morrow
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
5 ways to help the environment while on vacation
The Week Recommends An afternoon of planting trees could be the best part of your trip
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Doctors are taking on dental duties in low-income areas
Under the radar Physicians are biting into the dentistry industry
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Instagram hopes that blurring nudity in messages will make teens safer
The Explainer The option will be turned on by default for users under 18
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'
Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitution
speed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidence
Speed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulations
Speed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriage
Speed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba have a rough day in defamation court
Speed Read Trump's audible grousing as E. Jean Carroll testified earned him a warning he could be thrown out of court, and Habba showed she 'doesn't know what the hell she's doing'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Anders Breivik to testify in prison isolation lawsuit against Norway
Speed Read Far-right fanatic who killed 77 people in 2011 claims he has received 'inhuman treatment' in custody
By The Week UK Published