Alan Dershowitz slammed the House Judiciary Committee's impeachment hearing Wednesday, telling Newsmax TV it revealed itself to be a "complete distortion of due process."
"This has been a big waste of time," the Harvard Law School professor emeritus told "America Talks Live" host John Cardillo. "I've watched every minute of it.
"I've learned nothing."
Dershowitz is the author of the new book, "Guilt by Accusation: The Challenge of Proving Innocence in the Age of #MeToo."
Four constitutional scholars testified Wednesday in the first day of the Judiciary Committee's hearing, including one requested by Republicans, George Washington University School of Law professor Jonathan Turley.
The others were Democratic witnesses.
"Three Democrats testifying for the Democrats and one Democrat testifying for the Republicans, but why three to one? Why not two and two – why not three and three?" Dershowitz, also a Democrat, lamented to Cardillo. "The American public is entitled to hear all sides of the issue presented equally. In fact, the person under accusation should have more rights than the prosecutors, who are the Democrats in this case.
"So, we're seeing a complete distortion of due process in the interest of just reaching a result, which is to be a partisan result."
Dershowitz applauded Ranking Member Doug Collins, R-Ga., for exposing House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., rejecting partisan impeachment proceedings in the case of former President Bill Clinton.
"Here we have Nadler presiding over a completely partisan impeachment, which Alexander Hamilton said it was the great danger that we face in impeachment that it will turn on numbers of people on each side, rather than on the guilt or innocence of the person being impeached," Dershowitz said.
Dershowitz also bashed the hearing for its lack of cross examination by lawyers and committee members.
"You would think," he told Cardillo, "that the role of the counsel for the Democrats would be to cross-examine Turley and the role of the counsel for the Republicans would be to cross-examine the three Democratic witnesses.
"Instead, what we see is these lawyers and the congressmen throwing softballs to the people on their side.
"It's as if we were invited to listen to full lectures, with no question-and-answer period," Dershowitz said.
"Why no cross-examination?" he continued.
"I'd rather spend my time in Central Park watching 7-year-olds throw baseballs, throw softballs, and get some base-hits."
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