Mamdani taps controversial lawyer who defended al Qaeda terrorist for top role: 'Powerful advocate'

Mamdani taps controversial lawyer who defended al Qaeda terrorist for top role: 'Powerful advocate'


"My sincere hope is that New Yorkers who have long felt on the margins of this city, the homeless veteran straining to survive, the patient searching for the care that they need, an immigrant trying to get by will feel that they now have leaders in their corner who understand their struggles and care to fight for them," Mamdani went on, adding, "That is the city I want to build. Kassem thanked Mamdani for the appointment, saying he considers it a "call of duty to serve the city that I've called home, the city that embraced me." Kassem is the founder of the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) law clinic, a project that, according to its website, has a mandate "to support Muslim and all other client, communities, and movements in the New York City area and beyond that are targeted by local, state, or federal government agencies under the guise of national security and counterterrorism."


Published at: 2025-12-30 23:29:48

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