New York Attorney General Letitia James' announcement of a lawsuit to dissolve the National Rifle Association (NRA) reeks of selective prosecution that is being weaponized politically, according to legal expert Alan Dershowitz on Newsmax TV.
"I've never heard of a case where an attorney general's tried to dissolve a first amendment – and in this case First and Second Amendment protected political organization – that is a bridge too far constitutionally," Dershowitz told Thursday's "John Bachman Now."
Dershowitz noted James' politics – while he agrees with it – does not justify her going after right-wing groups while not equally investigating left-wing groups she supports.
"If she is selectively prosecuting and selectively investigating the NRA because she disagrees with its politics, that's wrong," Dershowitz told host Bob Sellers. "Look, I disagree with the politics of the NRA. I think they're too influential, I think they're too powerful, I think they're too much of an influence on Congress.
"I believe in the Second Amendment, but I also believe in reasonable gun control. But I would defend the NRA's right advocate its position without being subject to selective investigation and prosecution if it turns out that the attorney general is looking into this organization because she disagrees with its politics."
Dershowitz has long rejected the weaponization of political differences and he said NRA has a "good chance of winning that fight" in New York.
"The one thing we have to be sure of is that the legal system our country is never allowed to be weaponized for political purposes," Dershowitz added. "That will destroy the credibility of the system. Whether it's done by the right against the left, the left against the right, the legal system, particularly the criminal justice system, must be pristine, must be beyond reproach and beyond politics."
Important: See Newsmax TV now carried in 70 million cable homes, on DirecTV Ch. 349, Dish Network Ch. 216, Xfinity Ch. 1115, Spectrum, U-verse Ch. 1220, FiOS Ch. 615, Optimum Ch. 102, Cox cable, Suddenlink Ch. 102, Mediacom Ch. 277, or Find More Cable Systems – Click Here.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.