Word: brosnahan
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Lindh's religiosity might not have helped him if the case had reached a jury, especially one in Alexandria, just miles from where al-Qaeda crashed a hijacked plane into the Pentagon. "When your defense is count nine of the indictment, you're in trouble," says Lindh lawyer James Brosnahan, referring to the charge that Lindh aided the Taliban. "He was a kid who believed in what he was doing, but he was not a terrorist...
...None of this is helping Lindh's defense team; attorney James Brosnahan is not having much luck finding an audience for his case, i.e. that Lindh is being used by the U.S. Justice Department as a sacrificial lamb in the war on terrorism. "In my view," he told reporters outside the Virginia courthouse, "they have brought out the cannon to shoot the mouse." The defense team will likely counter government claims that Lindh willingly joined in a jihad against Americans by arguing that when Lindh joined the Taliban, they were engaged in fighting the Northern Alliance - at the time...
...Brosnahan apparently hopes to use Ashcroft's unchecked enthusiasm for the prosecution of this case as evidence the government is not dedicated to conducting a fair trial. He also told reporters his client was denied access to an attorney and subjected to "highly coercive" conditions while in custody of the U.S. military. Ashcroft bridled at the suggestion: Lindh's legal rights, the AG told reporters Tuesday, "have been carefully, scrupulously honored...
...other major prosecution problem is that Brosnahan can argue that Lindh was in such bad shape during the interrogations--he had been shot, appeared malnourished, and may have been doped on morphine--that the poor kid thought he was talking to Big Bird. On Friday MSNBC began running a videotape of Lindh that was apparently filmed on Dec. 14. Even then--four days after his FBI interview--he had chills and could barely keep his eyes open...
...Even so, Brosnahan may have a worse hand. Lindh signed a formal waiver of his right to an attorney, according to Attorney General John Ashcroft, and also verbally waived that right. "That Miranda [waiver] is likely to be very hard for [Lindh] to overcome," says Robert Weisberg, a Stanford law professor. Also, before he spoke with the FBI, Lindh voluntarily told CNN much the same story. Finally, the legal standard required to prove conspiracy "is kind of broad and vague," says Weisberg, and thus gives the edge to the prosecution. Top officials at the Justice Department are betting the matter...