Harvard law prof: 'Summary execution' of Iran general another 'abuse of power' by Trump

Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe recently said Iran General Qassem Soleimani's killing is "increasingly looking like summary execution."

Tribe also called the strike, ordered by Trump, another "abuse of power."

A Harvard law professor recently said that the death of murderous Iranian General Qassem Soleimani is “increasingly looking like summary execution without trial” by the United States. 

On Friday, just days after a U.S. strike ordered by President Donald Trump killed Soleimani, Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe tweeted, “In the fog of war, it’s easy to lose track of what counts. Whether Soleimani posed an ‘imminent’ threat that killing him would assuredly end isn’t just a debate over labels. It’s the difference btw [between] self-defense to protect Americans and murder to stave off Trump’s impeachment.” 

Tribe followed up with another tweet, doubting the president’s word, saying, “So Donald Trump just told [Laura Ingraham] that four embassies were being imminently targeted by Soleimani-- not three or five, but four. Isn’t it horrible that we have NO REASON AT ALL to believe the American president about this? None at all.” 

[RELATED: ASU prof: ‘Shut down’ Trump’s Twitter account to combat hate speech]

On Sunday, Tribe followed up further, stating, “with the Sec Def’s concession that he didn’t see any specific evidence of an imminent threat that made killing Soleimani an act of self-defense, it’s increasingly looking like summary execution without trial just to keep this president in office. Another gross abuse of power.” 

The latter part appears to be a reference to the “abuse of power” impeachment article against Trump that passed in December in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. 

Campus Reform has previously reported on Tribe, as he was a participant in signing a letter to the House of Representatives, urging members to vote to impeach Trump. Tribe and more than 600 professors from across the country signed the letter. 

[RELATED: UMich prof: ‘We have a mad bomber in the White House’]

Additionally, Campus Reform reported on Tribe when he made comments following the 2019 Fourth of July Celebration, comparing Trump’s celebration and tweet to that of a dictator. Tribe tweeted, “The resemblance to days before Tiananmen Square is chilling.”

The Tiananmen Square episode involved the suppression and slaughter of thousands of protesters.  

Campus Reform reached out to Tribe for comment but he did not respond in time for publication. 

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @carolinefshaver