Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz thinks that Donald Trump Jr. did not commit a crime by meeting with a Russian lawyer for information on Hillary Clinton, and said the New York Times is ignoring him because of that view.
Numerous writers in the Times' pages have made the case that the Trump family is criminally culpable. Dershowitz, a Hillary Clinton supporter, told the Washington Examiner on Monday that he had submitted a rebuttal argument but was rejected because of what he believes is editorial bias.
"I said that I thought the readers of the New York Times were entitled to hear or read the other side of the issue whether there were crimes committed," Dershowitz told the Examiner. "And I really do think the New York Times does not want its readers to hear an alternative point of view on the issue of whether or not Trump administration is committing crimes."
Dershowitz said that he has contacted the Times about its denial with no response. He has concluded that his opinion is not welcome because it is "not the narrative [the Times is] pushing."
The Times has not commented on his charge, citing its policy not to discuss editorial decisions about op-ed submissions. Dershowitz said the Times "has been pretty one-sided" on the issue, as other newspapers have published pieces saying that the meeting was not a crime.
Dershowitz's argument is based on the First Amendment's protections for free speech. He said that information cannot qualify as a "thing of value" that campaigns are legally required not to accept from foreign governments.
Dershowitz was asked Saturday night on Fox News whether Trump Jr. could have committed a crime under campaign finance laws. He said that it would make no sense to prosecute based on those statutes.
"Of course not, and if it were to be prosecuted, the First Amendment would trump," Dershowitz said. "A candidate has a right to get information from whatever source the information comes."
Dershowitz argued that his rejection from the Times indicated bias because he is well-qualified to make a legal case on public issues. He has published various books on law and has had a distinguished career at Harvard.
"It's not that I'm not credentialed," he said. "It's that I don't have the right point of view."
Dershowitz's view has not even been mentioned in the Times, except for one opinion piece that said, "Mr. Dershowitz is wrong."