Vice President Kamala Harris’ brother-in-law, who once defended the notorious “American Taliban,” has joined her revamped campaign team, according to a report.
Tony West, 58, will serve as a “powerful adviser” to the Harris’ presidential campaign, according to Axios, a move that comes after his 5-year-stint in the Obama administration’s Justice Department and subsequent high-level roles at PepsiCo and Uber.
West, who is married to Harris’ sister, Maya, also worked as an attorney for the San Francisco-based law firm Morrison & Foerster, where he defended the infamous John Walker Lindh, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Lindh, who abandoned the US to train with Osama bin Laden and fight for the Taliban in Afghanistan, was captured by American forces as an enemy combatant in November 2001.
“He is not a terrorist,” Harris’ new hire told the Washington Post in 2002.
“He did not go to Afghanistan to kill Americans,” West said of the then 21-year-old Lindh.
Lindh faced 10 federal charges, including conspiracy to murder US citizens and contributing services to al Qaeda.
He was offered and accepted a plea deal in 2002 which had him admit to supplying services to the Taliban and carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony for which he served 17 years of a 20-year sentence. --->READ MORE HERE
Vice President Kamala Harris has beefed up her presidential campaign team by adding her brother-in-law, Tony West, Axios reported this week.
West, 58, who is married to Harris’ sister Maya, will serve as a "powerful adviser" according to the outlet. He previously worked as an attorney for the San Francisco-based law firm Morrison & Foerster, where he defended "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Lindh was captured in Afghanistan in 2001 and indicted on 10 counts, including charges of conspiring to kill fellow Americans.
"He is not a terrorist," West told the Washington Post in 2002, adding, "He did not go to Afghanistan to kill Americans."
Lindh accepted a plea deal in 2002 in which he admitted to supplying services to the Taliban and carrying a rifle and two hand grenades while fighting against the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance.
Upon his sentencing, Lindh apologized for fighting with the Taliban, saying, "had I realized then what I know now - I would never would have joined them."
Lind, a Northern California native who was 21 at the time, said Osama bin Laden is against Islam and that he "never understood jihad to mean anti-American or terrorism." He was released from prison in May of 2019 after serving 17 years of a 20-year sentence. --->READ MORE HERE
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