On Wednesday evening, BBC viewers overheard American lawyer Alan M. Dershowitz talk about the guilty verdict in the case of Ghislaine M...
On Wednesday evening, BBC viewers overheard American lawyer Alan M. Dershowitz talk about the guilty verdict in the case of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted that day of helping billionaire Jeffrey Epstein recruit, treat and sexually assault underage girls.
What they were not aware of was that Mr Dershowitz had helped defend Mr Epstein and was himself accused of abuse by one of Mr Epstein’s accusers – a charge he denies.
The British broadcaster, who introduced Mr. Dershowitz as a “constitutional lawyer”, later said in a press release posted on Twitter that the interview did not meet his editorial standards: “Mr. Dershowitz was not a suitable person for an interview as an impartial analyst, and we did not clearly explain the relevant context to our audience,” says the press release. “We will see how it happened.”
Mr. Dershowitz is a long-time criminal defense lawyer known to represent high profile clients, including former President Donald J. Trump and OJ Simpson. Her connection to Mr. Epstein became bogged down with personal accusations when in 2014, Virginie giuffre, who is among Mr Epstein’s most high-profile accusers, said in a court filing that Mr. Dershowitz was one of Epstein’s friends she was offered to have sex.
In the BBC interview, Mr Dershowitz said Ms Maxwell’s trial had undermined Ms Giuffre’s credibility and her case against Prince Andrew, whom she also accused for sexually assaulting her when she was still a minor and he was a guest of Mr. Epstein. Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, denies this claim.
Ms. Giuffre did not testify at Ms. Maxwell’s trial. And Mr Dershowitz speculated that prosecutors had concerns about Ms Giuffre’s credibility.
The trial of Ms Maxwell, the former companion of disgraced financier Mr Epstein and the daughter of a British media mogul, has been widely regarded as the courtroom deeming Mr Epstein never had.
The omission of Mr Dershowitz’s connection to the case has sparked online criticism of conflicts of interest. Sarah Churchwell, an American professor at the University of London, was among those who weighed in.
The BBC has never explained its connection to the case, Professor Churchwell wrote in an email.
“At no time did the BBC reporter dispute Dershowitz or even mention his conflicts of interest when he himself had just raised them more than once,” she wrote.
In one Substack newsletter published ThursdayMr. Dershowitz defended his appearance on the news channel. “The media have repeatedly interviewed victims of Epstein’s abuse,” he wrote. “It is entirely appropriate for the media to interview the victims of Giuffre’s false accusations as long as there is full disclosure and no one is being misled.”
COMMENTS