'Country Over Party': Dershowitz to Leave Dems If Ellison Is Elected DNC Chair
Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, a high-profile Democrat for decades, said in an op-ed published Friday that he will leave the party if Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is elected chairman this weekend.
"My loyalty to my country and my principles and my heritage exceeds any loyalty to my party," Dershowitz, who supported Hillary Clinton in 2016, wrote in "The Hill" newspaper.
Dershowitz recounted Ellison's history of controversial statements and actions many deemed anti-Semitic, including the congressman's history with Louis Farrakhan's "Nation of Islam" movement.
"A prominent lawyer ... told me that while he was a law student, Ellison approached her and said he could not respect her because she was a Jew and because she was a woman who should not be at a law school," Dershowitz claims in the column.
Dershowitz slammed Ellison for disavowing Farrakhan at the same time he was first running for office in Minneapolis, adding that his recent claims of support for Israel coincide with his bid to lead the Democratic National Committee.
Calling the DNC election a "momentous choice," Dershowitz said the party could either go the direction of British parliamentarian Jeremy Corbyn, who led a far-left shift in the Labour Party, or try to recapture the "Rust Belt" Democrats who switched their allegiance to President Trump last November.
"I hope they choose wisely," Dershowitz said of the DNC's voting members, "If they do not, I have made my choice."
Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, a high-profile Democrat for decades, said in an op-ed published Friday that he will leave the party if Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is elected chairman this weekend.
"My loyalty to my country and my principles and my heritage exceeds any loyalty to my party," Dershowitz, who supported Hillary Clinton in 2016, wrote in "The Hill" newspaper.
Dershowitz recounted Ellison's history of controversial statements and actions many deemed anti-Semitic, including the congressman's history with Louis Farrakhan's "Nation of Islam" movement.
"A prominent lawyer ... told me that while he was a law student, Ellison approached her and said he could not respect her because she was a Jew and because she was a woman who should not be at a law school," Dershowitz claims in the column.
Dershowitz slammed Ellison for disavowing Farrakhan at the same time he was first running for office in Minneapolis, adding that his recent claims of support for Israel coincide with his bid to lead the Democratic National Committee.
Calling the DNC election a "momentous choice," Dershowitz said the party could either go the direction of British parliamentarian Jeremy Corbyn, who led a far-left shift in the Labour Party, or try to recapture the "Rust Belt" Democrats who switched their allegiance to President Trump last November.
"I hope they choose wisely," Dershowitz said of the DNC's voting members, "If they do not, I have made my choice."
