Dershowitz: 'Quid Pro Quo Alone Is Not a Basis for Abuse of Power' - Do You Agree?

by Countable's Trump Impeachment Coverage | 1.28.20

What's the story?

• Is withholding aid in exchange for probes impeachable?
• Some Republicans are conceding that President Donald Trump may have withheld Ukraine aid in exchange for investigations—but that this is not an impeachable offense.
• "Nothing in the Bolton revelations - even if true - would rise to the level of an abuse of power or an impeachable offense," said Trump attorney Alan Dershowitz.
• Dershowitz was referring to former national security adviser John Bolton, who alleges in his forthcoming book that the president explicitly told him $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine was conditioned on investigations into Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden.

• Dershowitz added:

"Quid pro quo alone is not a basis for abuse of power, it's part of the way foreign policy has been operated by presidents since the beginning of time."

• GOP members of the Senate concurred: "I don't think the testimony of Ambassador Bolton would be helpful because I basically am in agreement with the very scholarly approach that Mr. Dershowitz took that there's no article there that's grounds for impeachment and removal," said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
• Wicker added:

"Do I agree with everything every president has done? No. Does that include this President? Yes," Wicker said. "But the question is not whether, I think, a phone call was perfect, or whether something was advisable or not. The question is: Is this an impeachable offense?"

• Texas Sen. John Cornyn (R):

"If you are going to start impeaching presidents for doing what's within their power but for which they have political benefit, than I think impeachment is going to become the new norm."

What do you think?

Is quid pro quo an impeachable offense? Take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman