Emeritus Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz entered the latest ongoing public spat around the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his association with President Donald Trump—by arguing that Epstein wasn’t all that bad.
Speaking with Chris Cuomo on NewsNation on Friday, Dershowitz thought it prudent to clarify the nature of Epstein’s crimes.
“The predecessor on your show described Epstein as a convicted pedophile,” Dershowitz complained to Cuomo.
“[Epstein] pleaded guilty to one count of having sex for money with a 17-year-and-10-month-old person. That’s not a pedophile.”
While Epstein is alleged to have committed far more numerous and wide-ranging crimes, the case Dershowitz is referring to is that of his 2008 plea deal, which saw him serve 13 months (of an 18-month sentence) in a work-release program.
However, that investigation began after accusations were made about his interactions with a 14-year-old girl, and federal officials identified 36 similarly aged girls whom Epstein allegedly abused. Epstein pleaded guilty to the two relatively minor crimes of prostitution and soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida in order to avoid federal charges against him.
A 2020 Justice Department report into the case found “poor judgment” was made in giving Epstein a sweetheart deal at the time.
The disgraced financier and reported close pal of Trump did not live long enough to face federal charges of sex trafficking, as he died in prison in New York on Aug. 19, 2019 while awaiting trial.
Dershowitz defended Trump during his 2020 impeachment trial and famously argued that Trump, as president, has the power to do whatever he likes.
The 87-year-old lawyer, who has provided legal counsel to Harvey Weinstein and O.J. Simpson, also had both a personal and professional relationship with Epstein.
The late Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre claimed that she was forced to have sex with Dershowitz on Epstein’s private plane.
While he denied the claim, he did admit to getting a massage while at Epstein’s house, although he stated that he kept his underwear on and did not enjoy it.
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