Dershowitz: Russia investigation ‘endangers democracy’

Attorney Alan Dershowitz says special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia “endangers Democracy.”

“The idea of trying to create crimes just because we disagree with [President Trump] politically, and target him, really endangers democracy. [It] reminds me of what the head of the KGB said to Stalin: ‘Show me the man, and I will find you the crime,’ ” Dershowitz told John Catsimatidis on New York’s AM 970 in an interview that aired on Sunday. 

“[This is] where things happen in darkness and secrecy. The American public doesn’t learn about it,” he said, accusing the investigators of not sharing information with the public. “This [is] exactly the wrong way to approach the problem of Russia’s attempt to influence American election. We do not know what is going on. We get leaks, but the leaks are selective leaks.” 

After this article was published, Dershowitz said The Hill took his comments out of context.

{mosads}The Harvard law scholar, who is an opinion contributor to The Hill, also criticized former FBI Director James Comey, whom he called one of the “worst offenders” of leaks which have encouraged other members of government to leak classified information.

“One of the worst offenders of leaks is the former head of the FBI, Comey,” Dershowitz says. “[He] created a very, very bad precedent for people in government, making it sound like it is okay to leak material. It is not okay to leak material.”

Comey had a friend leak several memos of his conversations with Trump to The New York Times shortly after he was dismissed from the FBI in May.

The conversations detailed in the memos, in which Trump appears to ask Comey to drop his investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, are widely credited as the deciding factor that led to the formation of Mueller’s special counsel office.

Mueller has been investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential race and alleged collusion between Trump campaign staff and Moscow.

This article was updated Aug. 31.