Alan Dershowitz Warns That ‘Cancel Culture Is Quickly Becoming American Culture’

Posted on February 14, 2021 by LifeZette

Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz went on Fox News on Sunday to blast cancel culture, which was highlighted by threats made against former President Donald Trump’s defense attorney Michael Van Der Veen.

Dershowitz Compares Cancel Culture To McCarthyism

Dershowitz compared the current situation to McCarthyism in the twentieth century, and he also planned to fight it with all that he has.

“Cancel culture is quickly becoming American culture,” he said. “You know, Common Cause, which purports to be a liberal, not a radical organization, has now demanded that Facebook keep Donald Trump off its platform.”

“We are getting liberals, Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times, saying Fox should be taken off cable networks. It’s a call for censorship,” he continued.

“I grew up during McCarthyism,” Dershowitz added. “I hated communism. But I defended the rights of lawyers to defend accused communists. And I defend today every lawyer.”

“And if any lawyer is the subject of this kind of McCarthyism, I will represent you pro bono,” he said. “I will represent you in front of universities, in front of bar associations. I’m going to dedicate myself to making sure that the new McCarthyism of the hard left doesn’t become American culture.”

Jim Jordan Weighs In

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) also weighed in on this, expressing similar sentiments to Dershowitz.

“On the day we had the impeachment vote on the house floor, I told my Democrat colleagues, I said, the cancel culture won’t just stop with Republicans. It will come after all of us in the end,” he said. “And that’s why we all have to push back.”

“If we don’t push back on this and stop it and stand up, as Mr. Dershowitz said, stand up for the Constitution and the First Amendment, it will only get worse,” Jordan added. “This is the No. 1 issue for the country to address today.”

On Saturday, the Senate voted to acquit Trump after Democrats tried to impeach him for allegedly inciting the Capitol riots last month.

Had they succeeded in impeaching him, Trump would not have been allowed to run for office in the future. The acquittal means that as of this writing, Trump will be permitted to run for president again in 2024.

This piece was written by James Samson on February 14, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

The post Alan Dershowitz Warns That ‘Cancel Culture Is Quickly Becoming American Culture’ appeared first on The Political Insider.

Van Der Veen Owns Impeachment Trial Fourth Day

Posted on February 13, 2021 by LifeZette

In the senate impeachment trial the Democrats have generally won the show and tell with video, as the Republicans will win the case. Although, the Republican lawyers were better on Friday. This is likely due to the advice of Senators Cruz, Lee, and Graham.

Sen. @tedcruz R-Texas, sits at a computer in a meeting room for the lawyers of former President Donald Trump on the fourth day of the Senate Impeachment trials for former President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill on Friday, Feb 12, 2021 in Washington, DC. pic.twitter.com/PqEv4Z1Dpu

— Jabin Botsford (@jabinbotsford) February 12, 2021

Friday’s Standouts

Standouts on Friday were the performances of Trump lawyer David Schoen and Michael van der Veen. Bruce Castor was better on Friday, but continues to disappoint, as when he referred to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as Ben Roethlisberger, an NFL quarterback.

The Republicans did suffer, as has been widely noted, from a disadvantage on comms. The Democrats have had a slick and persuasive media presentation, albeit a tad redundant, while Republicans have relied on one short video clip, produced with bizarrely inappropriate music in the background, that they played over and over again without respite.

Perhaps it is because Democrats enjoy broad support amongst entertainment types that they were able to put together a superior show. As someone who produced and directed GOP media for twenty years I can tell you, Republicans really need to up their game in this department.

The Democrats proved Friday they are good reading presentations but are horrible extemporaneously, as van der Veen ripped them apart piece by piece and Schoen nailed them on hypocrisy, as did van der Veen, numerous times. Democrats Plaskett and Castro especially were more than once the victims of their own missteps, savagely pounced upon by van der Veen.

Republicans Get Aggressive

As for the chronology, the Republicans opened up the day aggressively.

They challenged Democrats on every point of law and common sense and got surprisingly personal with the Democrat House managers, showing them engaged in exactly the same type of behavior they accuse Trump of, hence the accurate charge of hypocrisy. But the fun really didn’t start until the question and answer period.

Senators sent one sided questions to the advocates on their side of the aisle, some senators sending a question to both sides to try and illustrate a point or trip up the opposition.

One thing must be said at this juncture. Despite earlier concerns, Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont played it right down the middle as judge. He has behaved honorably and professionally.

Republicans Win Q&A

The Republicans overwhelmingly won the Q&A, as Democrats lied, stumbled, and tried to spin their way out of trouble, to no avail. Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana, interestingly sent a question up that helped the Democrats. He’s probably a solid vote for conviction, though he may just be protecting his moderate flank.

Van der Veen, taking a major page out of the message control handbook, responded to Democrat questions by going back to his own script and almost ignoring the questions. Well played.

So while the Democrats win on comms points, the Republicans ate their lunch during question and answer. On to Saturday and the conclusion of the trial. Our guess? 56-44 for conviction. 11 short of the vote needed to convict. That’s give or take a Republican surprise or two.

That gives the immediately former president two senate impeachment exonerations in about 13 months. There could also be later votes on censure and disqualification for office. Those are simple majority votes and Trump could be in trouble there.

This piece was written by David Kamioner on February 13, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

The post Van Der Veen Owns Impeachment Trial Fourth Day appeared first on The Political Insider.

Report: Trump’s Own Impeachment Lawyer Called Him A ‘Fu**ing Crook’

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Becky Noble

As Donald Trump’s impeachment legal team began arguments in the second day of the trial, The Daily Mail reported that Trump lawyer Michael Van der Veen had once called him “a fu**ing crook.”

According to the report, Van der Veen’s comments happened while working on a 2019 case in which a student was accused of hacking IRS databases in order to obtain Donald Trump’s tax records.

The current defense team was assembled in a hurry. David Schoen and former Montgomery County Pennsylvania District Attorney Bruce Castor came on board just last Sunday.

Van der Veen was also brought in last week to assist.

Trump's legal team says Democrats are engaging in "political theater" and argues the impeachment trial is unconstitutional since he's no longer President https://t.co/fB5kHULC9J

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) February 8, 2021

A Curious Addition

Van der Veen’s former client stated that he was not sure if the ‘crook’ comments were an attempt to make him more comfortable or if they were the genuine beliefs of Van der Veen.

Van der Veen has denied the allegation.

NEW: Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen denies previously calling the president a "f—g crook," a day after a former client recalled him making that statement.

The client tells my colleague @anna_orso today he stands by his recollection.

More here: https://t.co/PnBdwehmgr pic.twitter.com/jnjvXYnzk1

— Jeremy Roebuck (@jeremyrroebuck) February 10, 2021

Even more curious, a Washington Post report states that Van der Veen sued Trump last year over Trump making claims that mail-in voting was “ripe with fraud” despite having “no evidence to support these claims.”

Conservative commentators have often wondered aloud about some of Trump’s hires. This one will no doubt draw many questions.

Trump Legal Team Off To A Shaky Start?

In a report from Politico, sources close to Trump say that the former president was not happy with the legal team’s performance.

Widely criticized for his performance was Bruce Castor.

Castor gave a disjointed 45-minute opening statement that confused many as it seemed that Castor often struggled to find a point.

Among the bewildering strategies was Castor stating that Donald Trump lost the election fairly.

This was a departure from reports that neither Castor or Schoen had planned to bring up any mention of a stolen election, but planned on arguing constitutionality of an impeachment trail against a president who is out of office.

Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz also did not have good things to say about the team’s first day, saying they did not do well.

Of Castor, Dershowitz said, “I have no idea what he is doing.”

'There is no argument – I have no idea what he is doing,' @AlanDersh on Trump's defense lawyer Bruce Castor 'talking nice' to U.S. Senators – via Newsmax TV's 'American Agenda.' https://t.co/VlT7z8drtO pic.twitter.com/7P7uVk5X19

— Newsmax (@newsmax) February 9, 2021

President Trump Unhappy And Frustrated

According to multiple outlets, sources close to Trump claim that, as defense attorneys meandered through opening statements, the President appeared to be getting frustrated as they gave timid responses to the prosecution.

The source also said that Trump saw the team’s performance as a missed opportunity, and was also bothered by the public criticism of his attorneys.

This was not an auspicious start for the defense today. The House was more polished and effective. The defense will need to tighten the narrative and focus the points going forward.

— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) February 9, 2021

The Politico report also stated that Castor had indeed admitted to changing plans based on how well the House Managers arguments were received.

Initially Schoen would present opening statements, the change was last minute.

An aide to former President Trump reportedly stated, “This is about lowering the temperature from the Democrats’ emotionally charged opening argument before dropping the hammer on the unconstitutional nature of this impeachment witch hunt.”

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