Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz said the push to disbar former Mayor Rudy Giuliani is a form of “McCarthyism,” adding that he would defend him.
Over the past several weeks, there have been growing calls to disbar Giuliani, who had served as former President Donald Trump’s personal attorney in response to claims of voter fraud during the Nov. 3 presidential election.
“It’s McCarthyism. I grew up during McCarthyism when the lawyers were being disbarred for representing clients that people didn’t like,” Dershowitz said Sunday on New York WABC 770 AM radio.
“Rudy is a lawyer. And that’s what he is supposed to do. And if his client says, ‘Challenge the election,’ he challenges the election,“ according to Dershowitz. ”If you don’t agree with his analysis, answer it in the court of public opinion. But don’t disbar him. Are we going to disbar Adam Schiff? Adam Schiff got on the floor of the Senate and the House and lied through his teeth about a range of things, including Russian collusion, and including me.”
The longtime legal expert was making references to Rep. Schiff (D-Calif.), who had served as a House manager during Trump’s first impeachment and who is also head of the House Intelligence Committee.
“I hope the bar association thinks differently about it. If it doesn’t, I will help Rudy. I will help defend him. I will be a witness for him. I’ve known Rudy for, what, 45 years. We disagree about almost everything. And yet, I would defend him to the depths of my being for being a lawyer,” Dershowitz said.
Several days ago, a legal advocacy group said Giuliani should be investigated and possibly disbarred from practicing law, according to an ethics complaint.
“This complaint is about law, not politics,” the attorneys claimed. “Lawyers have every right to represent their clients zealously and to engage in political speech. But they cross ethical boundaries—which are equally boundaries of New York law—when they invoke and abuse the judicial process, lie to third parties in the course of representing clients, or engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation in or out of court.”
Giuliani, on his radio show last week, said he believed he acted ethically during his post-election legal challenges and comments.
“I was a prosecutor all my life—I’m not stupid,” Giuliani said. “I don’t want to get in trouble. And I have a high sense of ethics, personally. I hate it when people attack my integrity.”
