Posted on 03/03/2012 9:18:02 AM PST by bayouranger
In a scary development, a major Obama fundraiser who defended a convicted al Qaeda terrorist will become the third highest ranking official at the Department of Justice (DOJ), which, ironically, is charged with defending the interests of the United States.
Northern California lawyer Tony West has been named Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division, making him the No. 3 guy at the agency. In 2009 West, who helped Obama raise tens of millions of dollars as finance co-chairman of his first presidential campaign, was appointed to help run the DOJ’s civil division which represents the government, Congress and presidential cabinet officers and handles cases dealing with significant policy issues.
In a statement announcing the promotion this week, Attorney General Eric Holder says West has served the department with “professionalism, integrity and dedication.” Holder also mentions West’s work before coming to the DOJ a few years ago, including a stint as a Special Assistant Attorney General in California and a lengthier career at a large San Francisco law firm.
Conveniently omitted in the press release is that West represented convicted al Qaeda terrorist John Walker Lindh, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence. Lindh was captured in Afghanistan in 2001 while fighting against the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance as a member of the Taliban army. He actually pleaded guilty to aiding the Taliban and carrying explosives while fighting U.S. troops in the region.
Holder also knows a thing or two about defending terrorists. After all, he was a senior partner in a prestigious Washington D.C. law firm (Covington & Burling) that represented more than a dozen Yemeni terrorists held at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay Cuba. While Holder was a senior partner the firm employed a number of radical attorneys to provide the Islamic extremists with thousands of hours of free legal representation, according to a news report.
Another highlight in Holder’s resume is that he orchestrated Bill Clinton’s shameful last-minute pardons, including that of a fugitive financier and a pair of jailed domestic terrorists. In fact, shortly after the pardon scandal, Holder predicted that his public career was over. Under his leadership the DOJ has been embroiled in a number of high-profile scandals, including a gun-running operation (Fast and Furious) in which weapons were sold to Mexican drug cartels. One was later used to murder a federal agent. Judicial Watch has sued the DOJ to obtain records involving the operation.
Will someone please quiet down the crickets I can’t hear what the GOP in the house and senate are saying about this important selection. This is a quiet coup that is coming through the back door while the magicians are putting on a show for the stupid in the theater, free candy for everyone!!! come have some laughs bring the family tell us what you want and we will provide, just dont go back stage, very important and intelligent people making your dreams come true, something you wouldnt understand.
"Conveniently omitted in the press release is that West represented convicted al Qaeda terrorist John Walker Lindh, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence. "
"In 2009 West, who helped Obama raise tens of millions of dollars as finance co-chairman of his first presidential campaign..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once again, the Obama administration proves it is incapable of common sense judgement and decision making. This time, the administration has appointed a terrorist defender to represent the federal government in it's case against Arizona's new immigration law that dares to protect Arizonans from the tidal wave of illegal aliens washing in on a daily basis. And no, this isn't parody from the Onion. (Hat tip - Doug Ross for the image)
Fox News reports that the federal prosecutor tasked with leading the Obama administration's case against Arizona's immigration law SB1070 is Justice Department attorney Tony West -- a member of the so-called "Gitmo 9" -- a group of lawyers who have represented terror suspects:
... West, the assistant attorney general for the department's Civil Division, once represented "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh, a controversial move that West feared would derail his political ambitions and helped delay his nomination to the department for three months in 2009.
He helped negotiate a 20-year sentence for Lindh, an American citizen who was 21 years old when he was captured in Afghanistan in 2001. Under the deal, Lindh avoided a life sentence by pleading guilty to serving in the Taliban army and carrying weapons, and the government dropped its most serious charges, including conspiracy to kill Americans and engaging in terrorism.
Now West will lead the U.S. effort to block Arizona's immigration law from its July 29 implementation. The law makes it a crime to be in the state without immigration papers and requires police to determine whether suspects are in the country legally -- a provision that critics say will promote racial profiling and is unconstitutional.Fox goes on to note that in the lawsuit, the Justice Department claims the federal government has "preeminent authority" on immigration enforcement and that the Arizona law "disrupts" that balance. As we noted in a previous post, this flies in the face of the reality that the administration has ignored "Sanctuary Cities" which are in effect breaks federal law, and the State of Arizona that where law enforcement has been doing for years exactly what the Arizona law Obama opposes mandates.
While it can be said that West doesn't deserve criticism for participating in our adversarial legal system, his choice of clients does speak to his character and political inclinations, as well as that of the administration that chose him to work in the DOJ and appoint him to lead the government's case against Arizona. This is a strong reminder that elections do have consequences, and this is the kind of people a far-left liberal surrounds himself with -- and this is the kind of people we have in our government as a result of having elected the most radically far-left president in history.
I saw this earlier on Fox and it made me sick to my stomach. I keep thinking that somehow, some way, sanity HAS to make a comeback and prevail and I pray for it every day...but it hasn’t happened yet.
unbelievable .. just unbelievable.
I don’t know what to think. I don’t see any way through this short of unmentionables.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.