Thompson Linked to Work for Libyans

The New York Times ^ | September 9, 2007 | JO BECKER

[PilloryHillary]

A little over three years after Pan Am Flight 103 blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland, Fred D. Thompson provided advice to a colleague about one of his law firm’s new clients: The man representing the two Libyan intelligence officials charged in the terrorist bombing.

The colleague, John Culver, a partner at the Washington firm of Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn began advising the two suspects’ Libyan lawyer in February 1992. Mr. Thompson, according to a memorandum from that era written by his secretary, held “discussions with Culver re: Libya” that same month.

At the time, Libya was facing international outrage for refusing to comply with a United Nations demand that the two suspects be extradited to the West for trial in the 1988 bombing, which killed 270 people. Revelations that American firms were representing Libyan interests provoked a furor among the Pan Am victims’ families. Some law firms refused to represent the country or the suspects, while others withdrew.

The involvement of Mr. Thompson, who worked part-time for Arent Fox as a lawyer and lobbyist from 1991 until shortly before his election to the Senate in 1994, never became public. But Arent Fox’s chairman, Marc L. Fleischaker, confirmed that Mr. Thompson, who is now seeking the Republican presidential nomination, briefly provided Mr. Culver with advice about the suspects’ case, billing the firm for 3.3 hours of his time.

The firm was hired to provide guidance on the tense questions surrounding where the two men should be tried, Mr. Fleischaker said, and Mr. Thompson’s background as a former prosecutor, as well as his government relations experience — he had close ties to senior officials in the first Bush administration — “gave him insight on jurisdictional issues such as that.”

[PilloryHillary]

3.3 hours? That's all the Times can come up with?

[fieldmarshaldj]

John Culver is the former ultraliberal rodent Senator from Iowa. His son is the current Governor and has the IQ of a turnip.

[lesser_satan]

Ping!

[lesser_satan]

Tom Villsack is his kid, or he’s the gov somewhere else?

[nuconvert]

So????

[fieldmarshaldj]

Chet Culver. Vilsack’s term as Governor concluded in January.

[kinoxi]

He’s made over a million dollars as a lobbyist. This has been my main apprehension concerning Fred. You lay down with dogs, you get up with fleas. This is ,most likely, only the beginning and subsequently minor in nature. I’m not bashing Fred. I have stated before and I will say again, I hope he is as good as his supporters say he is. The million plus from lobbying concerns me.

[abercrombie_guy_38]

One could view it as no big deal or giving 3.3 hours of indirect legal advice to Islamic terrorists.

[abercrombie_guy_38]

I’m in the same boat. I want to like Fred but I hate lobbyists, and those who support them, with a passion.

[skinkinthegrass]

That's all the Times can come up with?

Hmm...just what, We were expecting.....A $hrillary 'sponsored' hit piece......its very weak.

[Uncle Miltie]

Thompson is a terrorist supporter!

< / left wing rant>

[Finalapproach29er]

All politicians are whores; we have to choose the least disgusting or the most pro-American guy.

[perfect_rovian_storm]

He’s done lobbying off and on for nearly 30 years and he made ‘over a million dollars’. I believe someone did the math on the exact numbers and it came out to about $60k per year.

[PilloryHillary]

Hmm...just what, We were expecting.....A $hrillary 'sponsored' hit piece......its very weak.

I'm sure 'they' are just warming up.

[Ronaldus Magnus]

The Left must be terrified of Fred to have it’s media arm throw this kind of mud the first week after Fred declared.

[Shelayne]

Here we go...

They are going to pull out all the stops. Every single thing that Fred did is going to be placed in the most negative light possible. Fred’s candidacy obviously terrifies them.

I am fastening my seat belt.

Go, Fred!

[The_Reader_David]

3.3 hours? And the way the legal profession calculates billing hours, that probably means a lot less than 3.3 hours of actual time devoted to the case. (Most firms have some kind of minimum billable unit, and any fraction of that gets billed as that—e.g. a 3 min phone call would be billed as, say 10 min.)

[PilloryHillary]

He’s made over a million dollars as a lobbyist. This has been my main apprehension concerning Fred. You lay down with dogs, you get up with fleas. This is ,most likely, only the beginning and subsequently minor in nature. I’m not bashing Fred. I have stated before and I will say again, I hope he is as good as his supporters say he is. The million plus from lobbying concerns me.

I'm not totally 'sold' on Fred, but just how much money and influence have the OTHER candidates gotten over the years? Fred has nothing on the Clintons.

[skinkinthegrass]

I'm sure 'they' are just warming up......Oh, I sure.... :/

[counterpunch]

This is standard practice in law firms.
Anyways, it wouldn’t matter if Fred personally represented them.
That is an integral part of our legal system.
We don’t have show trials in America.
Bother sides are represented fully and to the best ability possible, and then a decision is made based on what is presented.

Proper representation doesn’t make the guilty any less guilty, though it gives the innocent a chance to prove their innocence.