Alan Dershowitz, the Harvard Law School professor, liberal Democrat, and pro-Israel icon, has warned fellow Democrats to stop attacking Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate who has emerged as the top Republican donor in the 2012 election cycle. President Barack Obama's campaign manager, Jim Messina, signaled last week that the Obama campaign was adding Adelson to the list of private citizens it has targeted for attack, alongside the Koch brothers and Karl Rove. In tandem, the National Jewish Democratic Council began a petition drive aimed at pressuring Mitt Romney and the Republican Party to return and refuse "dirty money" from Adelson.
The claim of "dirty money" comes from an accusation, cited in the left-wing Huffington Post and made in a lawsuit by a former Adelson employee who was fired, that Adelson personally approved of "personally approved of prostitution and knew of other improper activity at his company's properties in the Chinese enclave" of Macau.
Dershowitz has criticized National Jewish Democratic Council president David Harris for basing his attacks on this claim "even though no evidence has been submitted to support it and no finding has been made by any court. Has [Harris] never heard of 'due process' or the 'presumption of innocence'?" Citing Adelson's work on behalf of pro-Israel causes, as well as his philanthropy in the United States, Dershowitz slammed Harris and his Democratic organization for maligning a man whose "generosity has helped repair the world."
Noting that he disagrees politically with Adelson, Dershowitz called the attacks on Adelson "outrageous":
I am a Democrat and do not agree with many of Adelson's political views, but I think it's outrageous for the National Jewish Democratic Council to level unfounded allegations against Adelson. They do not speak for me, and for the many other Jews who admire Adelson's contributions to the world, to America, to Israel and to the Jewish community. I don't know who Harris purports to speak for as President of the National Jewish Democratic Council, but his partisan gamesmanship is an embarrassment to many Jewish Democrats. The attack comes with particular ill grace from a Jewish organization, considering all that Adelson has done for Jewish causes, and considering the fact that there is nothing uniquely "Jewish" about the questionable allegations against him.
"personally approved of prostitution and knew of other improper activity at his company's properties in the Chinese enclave"
ReplyDeleteReally? That's the worst thing he ever did? Off Topic but important:
I wanted to repost these videos (I found via Angry Arab) of demos in KSA. I'm trying to post them everywhere since the MSM wont mention them.
There are new demos in KSA since the shooting of Shiite cleric Nimr al Nimr. Live ammo has been used against them. But there have also been demos (very small, but its a start) in Riyadh calling for release of prisoners.
All these videos I found via Angry Arab blog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?f...
And this one is in Riyadh, saying the people want freedom for the prisoners.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
I can't think of a bigger blow to the power elite than a genuine revolution in Saudi Arabia. This is not the place where they would try to manufacture an Arab Spring.
Due process? Presumption of guilt? This ain't a court. The guy is tied to shady characters and events. No one's taking away his freedom. They're just calling him a dirtbag.
ReplyDeleteLove the elite mudslinging. This was a cry to stop following the money and just attack him because he supports the red team. Everything else, shut up.
Dersh reminding his fellow Tribesman that Tribe > Political party.
ReplyDeleteUsually discretion carries the day in matters such as these, but I guess Dersh is really pissed.