Dershowitz Defends Chelsea Clinton Against Islamophobic Claim

When someone like Chelsea Clinton speaks out against anti-Semitism, they should not be accused of being Islamophobic, Harvard Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz said Monday.

"When you accuse somebody, even truthfully, of making anti-Semitic statements, the very accusation, whether truthful or not, is called Islamophobic," Dershowitz told Fox News' "Fox & Friends." "It provides a complete defense, no matter who made the accusation."

This holds true whether it is someone like Clinton, who called out Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., or President Donald Trump, who is also accused of causing the tragedy in New Zealand, Dershowitz said.

Over the weekend, Clinton was attacked during an appearance at New York University by a student who blamed her comments opposing anti-Semitism after Rep. Omar had made statements questioning support of Israel.

"People in support of [Omar] are saying, 'no, no, you cannot call out anti-Semitism, [saying] that is not appropriate speech,'" Dershowitz said. "Because if you do identify anti-Semitic statements and condemn them as everybody in the world should, you're guilty of bigotry and Islamophobia."

However, people should have the "complete freedom" to call out anti-Semitism and bigotry, without being worried they will be accused of being a bigot, he concluded.

• Minnesota Dems Looking for Primary Challenger to Ilhan Omar
• ICE Officials Reviewing Anti-Omar Social Media Posts of Agents