Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz is often willing to go to bat for President Trump, but Trump's "Spygate" claims may be going too far for even Dershowitz to support.
Dershowitz went on Fox News on Wednesday to offer his opinion on earlier analysis by House Oversight Committee chair Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.). Gowdy on Tuesday said that "the FBI did exactly what my fellow citizens would want them to do when they got the information they got, and that it has nothing to do with Donald Trump," flying in the face of Trump's claims that the FBI was politically motivated to seek disparaging information when an informant spoke to members of his campaign staff.
Dershowitz found Gowdy convincing — or at least, "halfway" convincing. When asked about Gowdy's assurances that the FBI acted properly, Dershowitz said he found them credible. “I'm halfway persuaded,” he said. “I want to hear the inspector general and would like to see the facts myself, but I'm on the way to being persuaded.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While Dershowitz still thought that the FBI should have told Trump that the agency was looking into his campaign, it was ultimately a "judgment call," he said. Watch the full interview below, via Fox News. Summer Meza
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailoutTalking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Crossword: October 5, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denialSpeed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feudSpeed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protestersSpeed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoffSpeed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsionSpeed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deploymentSpeed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland
