Alan Dershowitz Says Media Is Withholding Exonerating Information

In a passionate interview with Beat the Press, Harvard Law School Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz claimed certain journalists are intentionally withholding documents, interviews and tape-recorded conversations that would corroborate his denials of sexual misconduct against Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers.

In the Netflix documentary "Filthy Rich," one of those accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, claims she had sex with Dershowitz at least six times and recently said the first encounter was in New York City when she was only 16 years old. Epstein, who died by suicide while in custody last August, was accused of sexually preying on dozens of vulnerable teenage girls and forcing some of them to have sex with prominent friends and associates.

WATCH:See the exclusive interview with Alan Dershowitz as he denies Epstein allegations

Dershowitz provided Epstein with legal counsel when, in 2008, he pleaded guilty to charges in Florida of procuring a minor for prostitution and solicitation.

When asked if he believes the media is withholding information that would exonerate him of any wrongdoing, Dershowitz said, “It’s a question of fact.”

He said Giuffre tried to “deep-six” a series of emails with another reporter who said, “We know Dershowitz didn’t do anything wrong. There’s no proof he did anything wrong. But you should put him in your book because he’s famous. He did ‘Reversal of Fortune’ [about the Claus Von Bulow trial]. It’ll help with your book pitch.”

Miami Herald reporter Julie Brown, who has done extensive reporting on the Epstein case, told Beat the Press in an email that Dershowitz is “in a panic” because he has been named as someone Giuffre was forced to have sex with.

Brown wrote: “Mr. Dershowitz has never shown me or my editors any proof at all. There are no details we have left out because nearly all the conversations we’ve had with him he has demanded that they be off the record.”

When asked about Brown’s email, Dershowitz said “Totally false. I have a recording.” Dershowitz said Brown allowed him to record an in-person conversation with her and that he gave her all the needed material then. He also claims he gave all the exonerating material to Netflix, which did not include it in its "Filthy Rich" documentary.

To bolster his point, Dershowitz said the U.S. government has not used Giuffre as a witness or named her as a victim in prosecuting Epstein. Dershowitz said the media is “afraid of victim shaming,” which is why they won’t print the truth about what he describes as Giuffre’s lies. And he accused the Miami Herald’s Brown of being an advocate for victims, and “working for the other side.”

Epstein’s onetime girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was arrested last month in New Hampshire and faces charges of helping procure young girls for him. There is a picture of Maxwell with Giuffre and Britain’s Prince Andrew, his arms around her.

When asked about the rumor that Maxwell might have videotapes of sexual encounters at Epstein’s various estates, Dershowitz said “I hope so” because that, he says, would clear him.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Dershowitz said Julie Brown allowed him to record a phone conversation with her. The conversation he was referring to was in-person, he said.

Emily Rooney’s full interview with Alan Dershowitz will be on Beat the Press, this Friday at 7 p.m. on WGBH Channel 2.