Politics

Lawyer who defended ‘American Taliban’ now heads DOJ suit against Arizona

Pat McMahon Contributor
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The federal prosecutor tasked with quarterbacking the Obama administration’s high-profile case against Arizona’s immigration law is no stranger to controversy or the limelight.

Justice Department attorney Tony West is 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.

Full story: FOXNews.com – Lawyer Who Defended ‘American Taliban’ Now Heads DOJ Suit Against Arizona