The convergence of the radical left and the paleo right continues apace. The latest chapter in this unfolding saga is paleocon Paul Craig Robert’s whitewashed defense of radical attorney Lynne Stewart that appears, fittingly enough, in the radical journal Counterpunch. Stewart, of course, infamously represented one of the architects of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, “Blind Sheikh," Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman.” Roberts, for his part, claims that “Stewart represented her client in ways disapproved by prosecutors.” Please. What Stewart actually did was go to great lengths to facilitate communication between Rahman and his terrorist organization, the Egyptian Islamic Group. Here’s a brief sampling of her tactics:
An F.B.I. affidavit prepared by agent Kimberley Whittle detailed the cunning measures Stewart resorted to during her prison visits in order to protect Rahman and assist the Islamic Group’s homicidal agenda. According to the affidavit, Stewart "made random comments out loud for the [prison] guards to hear in order to conceal the real conversation" between Rahman and Yousry. During one such exchange, Stewart—all the while pretending to take notes in her legal pad—misled nearby guards by loudly inserting the nonsensical phrase, "Yes, the um…I am talking to you about…him going out on a, uh, chocolate eh…heart attack here" into a discussion between Rahman and Yousry. A wiretap captured Stewart, Rahman and Yousry joking afterwards about Stewart’s deception, with the aging Leftist lawyer saying she could "get an award for it," and the Sheikh adding, "as long as the government is using secret evidence we will use secret doves." (More details can be found here.)
In brief outline, Stewart was indicted for demonstrably aiding the cause of a terrorist organization. It takes either a profound ignorance of the facts of Stewart’s case, or a genuine sympathy for her efforts to conclude, as Roberts does, that “Stewart’s indictment sends a message to attorneys not to represent too dutifully or aggressively clients who are unpopular or demonized.” Say what you will of Paul Craig Roberts, but an ignorant man he is not.
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