"This raises a fundamental question about the continuing legitimacy of statutory rape laws at a time when sex involving teenagers is so rampant and prosecution for statutory rape so selective," Dershowitz wrote. "It is obvious that there must be criminal sanctions against sex with very young children, but it is doubtful whether such sanctions should apply to teenagers above the age of puberty, since voluntary sex is so common in their age group."

He then suggests that the age of consent should be lowered to 15, or perhaps even 14. [...]

He has also attacked the New Yorker profile of him, written by staff writer Connie Bruck. Before it was published, he called it a "hit piece" with the "explicit purpose of silencing my defense of President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the State of Israel."

The lengthy article, titled "The Devil's Advocate," quotes Giuffre, who in accusations going back to 2014 names Dershowitz among the men she says Epstein forced her to have sex with. Giuffre says she had sex with him at least six times. When asked why she had decided to name Dershowitz, she told Bruck, "Jeffrey got away with it, basically. And Dershowitz was one of the people who enabled that to happen."

Dershowitz vociferously denied her allegations and ended up suing her lawyers in 2015. According to the article, the case was settled in 2016, with Dershowitz's insurance company paying Giuffre's lawyers an undisclosed sum. The settlement also included a sum of money to Dershowitz "which would allow him to claim a payment."