Former Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz told Newsmax he's concerned about what he calls "Epstein McCarthyism" being played out with the release of the Epstein files.
Dershowitz told The Record With Greta Van Susteren on Friday that only complete file information should be released, with nothing blocked from view.
"What I'm scared of," he said, "is this new Epstein McCarthyism. You name the names, but you don't give the information to those who are accused, necessary to show that the accusations are false."
He said there should be equal protection provided for anyone named in the files for any reason to know who said their name or who inserted their name into the files.
"Well, according to at least several Democratic congressmen that were on television, what we expect to see is more and more McCarthyism. That is, they're gonna release the names of the people who are accused. So, John Smith, you're accused, but we're not going to tell you who accused you."
He said that kind of process shakes the foundation of the legal system "because we're gonna redact the names of the accusers and we're not going to tell you that the accuser has a long history of perjury and made up stories about a lot of other people. We're just gonna put your name out. And that's what I'm scared of."
Dershowitz detailed how he was once falsely accused of criminal impropriety. But since he was allowed to know the identity of the accuser, he was able to prove the accusation to be false, and the claims were dropped.
Without that critically important information, Dershowitz said some people could be caught up in a nightmare.
"They should release everything. There should be no redactions. If you're somebody who's accused somebody, you no longer have the right to privacy under our Constitution. Anybody who's accused has the right to confront witnesses. We can't assume that everybody who accuses is a victim."
Dershowitz added that he's a civil libertarian.
"I care about real victims. But false victims should be prosecuted," he said.
Files of information, including photographs from the life of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died mysteriously while being detained in 2019, have been the subject of legal battles. The Justice Department on Friday released thousands of new files related to his prosecution.
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Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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