President Trump’s impeachment lawyer Alan Dershowitz argued the president should not have the stain of impeachment on his legacy if the Senate acquits him.
“Nancy Pelosi has now pulled a real sharp one. She says even if he’s acquitted and vindicated, he’s still impeached. He’s going to have that label forever. That should not be how it is. Why? He didn’t have a fair trial,” Dershowitz, 81, told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Friday.
“He was indicted. And what happens after a person is acquitted after indictment? The indictment disappears,” he continued. “If he wins this, I think nobody should regard him as having been impeached.”
Trump, 73, told House Republicans in an October phone call that he didn’t want to be impeached because it was a “bad thing to have on your resume,” according to Axios.
The Democratic-controlled House impeached Trump in December on charges of obstruction of Congress and abuse of power over his conduct toward Ukraine.
On Friday, the Republican-led Senate rejected a motion to call for additional witnesses and documents, setting up a vote for Trump’s acquittal next week.
Two other presidents have been impeached: Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998. Both were acquitted by the Senate. Former President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 before the House could impeach him.
