Dan Abrams-Theodore Roosevelt for The Defense

 In their New York Times bestseller, Lincoln’s Last Trial, ABC News chief legal affairs anchor Dan Abrams and bestselling author David Fisher unearthed a little-known chapter from the life and career of America’s most revered president, shedding new light on his national ascendency. Now, in THEODORE ROOSEVELT FOR THE DEFENSE: The Courtroom Battle to Save his Legacy (Hanover Square Press; May 21, 2019; $26.99 US/$33.50 CAN), this team returns to resurrect another seminal case in presidential history: a 1915 libel case brought against Teddy Roosevelt that rocked the nation and American politics. “There have been at least twenty other twentieth century trials dubbed ‘the trial of the century,’ all captivating based on the nature of the crimes or the identity of the defendants or victims,” write Abrams and Fisher. “But only one of them involved a former president of the United States testifying in his own defense for over a week, and with testimony that would expose the underbelly of seedy political backdoor deal making and even profiteering. Barnes v. Roosevelt also didn’t involve just any former president taking the witness stand. Teddy Roosevelt was one of the most charismatic and entertaining presidents that the nation had, and has, ever seen. He didn’t disappoint, offering animated and at times blistering testimony for an audience that extended well beyond the courtroom.” The libel case was brought against Roosevelt by William Barnes, the former head of the Republican Party in New York State. While endorsing a nonpartisan gubernatorial candidate, T.R.—himself a Republican before helping launch the Progressive or Bull Moose party—had railed against two-party boss rule as a rotten system that created “an invisible government … responsible for the maladministration and corruption in the public office.” Barnes, the owner and publisher of the Albany Evening Journal, was a powerful party boss with dreams of running for governor himself. In an attempt to save his reputation from these ‘false and malicious attacks ‘Barnes sued Roosevelt for libel, demanding the princely sum of $50,000.  The civil trial, held in Syracuse, became a media circus. Drawing on a trove of primary source material, including the complete typed transcripts from every moment of the case, as well as rich and colorful contemporary reportage from the many newspaper journalists covering the proceedings, Abrams and Fisher create a novelistic narrative that captures the high-stakes tension, occasional humor, and precedent-setting testimony. The trial, which played out as America was on the brink of world war, would take its toll on both Roosevelt and Barnes. Yet, it exposed political misdeeds and set legal precedents, while shoring up T.R.’s reputation as an enemy of corruptions and one of the most progressive leaders our country has ever seen. “Dan Abrams and David Fisher have penned a thrilling account of a nationally important trial that had profound consequences for both parties, one of whom happened to be Teddy Roosevelt,” says Gregg Tripoli, Executive Director, Onondaga Historical Association. “Abrams and Fisher have sifted through the archives to give us a courtroom seat to witness T.R. at his ‘bully’ best in this high stakes, high drama, high profile, yet so far relatively unknown, trial from our nation’s history.” About the author: DAN ABRAMS is the chief legal affairs correspondent for ABC News as well as the host of top-rated Live PD on A&E Network and The Dan Abrams Show: Where Politics Meets the Law on SiriusXM. A graduate of Columbia University Law School, he is CEO and founder of Abrams Media, which includes the Law & Crime network. He lives in New York. Photo Credit: ABC Photography Department