Who is Tony West? Attorney who once defended 'American Taliban' joins Kamala Harris campaign as ‘powerful adviser’
Tony West, an attorney who once supported the infamous “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh, has joined US Vice President Kamala Harris 2024 campaign team.
An attorney, who once supported the infamous “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh, has joined US Vice President Kamala Harris revamped 2024 campaign team, according to a new report.
Tony West, who has worked under Obama administration's Justice Department and held senior positions at PepsiCo and Uber, will assist her presidential campaign as a “powerful adviser,” Axios stated.
West and Harris have a strong family connection as he is married to her sister Maya, an attorney with Morrison & Foerster, as per Washington Free Beacon.
Tony West fought with US administration to reduce Lindh's sentence
The US military forces apprehended Lindh in November 2001. He had left the United States to receive training with Osama bin Laden, the co-founder of Al-Qaeda, and fight for the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Lindh was charged with ten federal offenses, including providing assistance to al Qaeda and plotting the murder of Americans.
West, who was then working with the San Francisco-based law firm Morrison & Foerster, took up the case in 2002 and fought with the George W. Bush administration to reduce the sentence of Lindh.
West started his legal career by taking the prominent defense case in the government's case against Lindh in 2002.
Speaking to the Washington Post on his client's behalf, West defended the traitor, claiming that 21-year-old Lindh was not a terrorist. He further said that Lindh did not go to Afghanistan to kill Americans.
West and his legal team secured a plea deal for Lindh that resulted in a maximum 20-year prison sentence for him. In the plea deal, he confessed to providing services to the Taliban and carrying an explosive while committing a crime for which he served 17 years in prison out of a 20-year sentence.
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Tony West assisted Harris in 2020 US elections
West supported Harris throughout her 2020 campaign, despite warning her not to run for president against her fellow Democrats, including Joe Biden. He later defended his role in Harris' botched campaign.
Meanwhile, senior adviser David Plouffe, who oversaw Obama's 2008 campaign, has joined Harris' team.
On Friday, Harris secured enough votes to clinch the Democratic nomination.
“I will officially accept your nomination next week, once the virtual voting period is closed,” she wrote in X.
