This week’s Ghislaine Maxwell guilty verdict (for helping the late Jeffrey Epstein recruit and abuse underage girls) has led to some awkward takes. That includes rootin’ tootin’ Rep. Lauren Boebert demanding more justice against those linked to Epstein (she was likely thinking of Bill Clinton but didn’t mention Donald Trump’s Epstein association). Among the others implicated in unsealed court documents would be former O.J. Dream Team member Alan Dershowitz.
Dershowitz hasn’t taken kindly to revelations about that association. He even sued Netflix for $80 million (while claiming defamation) over the Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich documentary’s noting of allegations that he had sex with Virginia Guiffre, the Epstein survivor who accused Epstein and Maxwell of grooming her at age 17 “to have sex with Epstein, Dershowitz, and other powerful men as part of a sex-trafficking ring.” For his part, Dershowitz insisted that the accusations are “categorically false,” but to complicate matters, he reportedly “helped negotiate a non-prosecution agreement” for Epstein’s case, which only led to a 13-month sentence.
So, there’s no universe where Dershowitz could be considered an “impartial analyst,” which led to an enormous mess when the BBC decided to welcome “constitutional lawyer” Dershowitz about the Maxwell guilty verdict. And in response, the BBC scrambled by issuing a statement:
“Last night’s interview with Alan Dershowitz after the Ghislaine Maxwell verdict did not meet the BBC’s editorial standards, as Mr. Dershowitz was not a suitable person to interview as an impartial analyst, and we did not make the relevant background clear to our audience. We will look into how this happened.”
Statement on interview with Alan Dershowitz pic.twitter.com/MlXkqdJI8u
— BBC News Press Team (@BBCNewsPR) December 30, 2021
Yikes. To say the very least, it’s a terrible look for the BBC to interview Dershowitz, who has been accused of sexual abuse by an Epstein survivor, as an impartial expert on Epstein’s right-hand gal. People are disgusted and calling the move “grotesque” and “unfathomable,” among other things. The also-accused Prince Andrew came up in people’s speculation of how this oversight happened.
The BBC having Alan Dershowitz as an expert commentator on the Maxwell verdict is grotesque, and a complete disgrace for a public service broadcaster. pic.twitter.com/M19QfbAdOh
— Christian Christensen (@ChrChristensen) December 30, 2021
https://twitter.com/FrancisMaudeAdv/status/1476610182004150285
https://twitter.com/ShaunUsher/status/1476319467466637322
https://twitter.com/DaveNumber4/status/1476318797707755521
Fox News at least acknowledged Dershowitz's connections with Epstein. Unfathomable that the BBC thought this was a good idea. https://t.co/KZKisz3VX4
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 30, 2021
https://twitter.com/avocadamn/status/1476320016987471874
Also v worrying that, after the verdict, the BBC interviewed a ‘constitutional lawyer’ as if he was an impartial expert. This expert spent the interview saying that Prince Andrew was innocent. Turns out Alan Dershowitz was also accused of sexual abuse by one of Epstein’s victims. pic.twitter.com/lbkDu0msKy
— Dame Woke BunnyHugger 🐝 🌱💙 🇺🇦 (@angrywokebunny) December 30, 2021
The descent of the BBC is truly spectacular to watch. Is believable that the National broadcaster would go to bat for Ghislaine Maxwell or is it more likely that a certain Royal nonce #PrinceAndrew is behind this
After all Alan Dershowitz spent time going after Virginia Guiffre pic.twitter.com/Bmb6tde2qq
— Alexis is sowing discord in the West (@ArchewellBaby) December 30, 2021
And this tweet might sum the matter up best: “What next… Freddy Kruger invited on to discuss teenage knife crime?”
Still can’t believe the BBC had Alan Dershowitz on to discuss Ghislaine Maxwell. What next… Freddy Kruger invited on to discuss teenage knife crime? pic.twitter.com/ylx8kV4Hbf
— David Duffield (@duffster84) December 30, 2021