Feed: Obama’s Cole appointment creates Beltway firestorm - AggScore: 13.0

Obama’s Cole appointment creates Beltway firestorm

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blockquoteemIn a Legal Times column by written by JamesColehe refers to the 911 attacks as criminal acts of terrorism against a civilian population. Colewent on to statethat the United States has faced many forms of devastating crime, from the drug trade to organized crime to rape and child abuse, adding thatthe terrorist attacksof September 11, 2001were horrible, but so are these other things. emblockquotecaption id alignalignleft width210 caption Obama039s choice for the No. 2 spot at the Justice Department is being met with strong opposition. Photo Huffington Post img srchttpcdn2b.examiner.comsitesdefaultfilesstyleslargehash049804986d738f8209578b34742aece91362.jpg alt width210 height170 captionPresident Barack Obamais expected to appoint controversiallawyerJames Cole asAttorney General Eric Holderstopdeputy at the U.S.Justice Department. This latestrecess appointmenthas created a firestorm sinceSenate Republican objected to Coles appointment and had successfullyput the brakes onhis installation as the Number Two man at the Justice DepartmentCole, 58, has been a partner at the law firm Bryan Cave LLP since 1995, the White House said in a statement on Wednesday.divThenumber two slothasremained vacant since February 2010when deputy attorney general, David Ogden, resigned. Whilethe Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Senator Patrick Leahy DVT,approved Colesappointment inJuly,GOP membersstrongly criticizedhis attitude towards terrorists andterrorism cases.divdivNew Yorks Republican Congressman Pete King reacted with obvious anger when he said, James Cole is unfit for this job. This is the worst Obama appointment yet.divdivCole served as a lawyer for the Saudi royals who helped finance the 911 terrorist attacks and raked in millions of dollars to monitor a collapsed insurance company that got a massive government bailout, according to a Washington, DC watchdog group.divJames Cole believes that the Middle Eastern terrorists, who attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, are simply domestic criminals who commit crimes such as rape and murder, said Tom Fitton, President of Judicial Watch in June when Cole was first nominated.This should concern Americans since, as a ranking official at the Justice Department, Cole would play a lead role in decisionmaking involving terrorism arrests and prosecutions, said Fitton.Known as a top criminal defense attorney in Washington D.C. specializing in whitecollar crime, Cole is a longtime friend of Attorney General Eric Holder, who served as deputy of the Justice Departments Public Integrity Division under Bill Clinton. It was Holder who brokered the deal to release terrorists who bombed office buildings and killed cops in New York City in the 1970s. The deal was made to garner votes for Clintons wife who was running for New Yorks U.S. Senate seat.Cole has a shady history that contradicts the presidents assertion that the American people will be well served by his integrity and commitment to the law, according to Judicial Watch.Cole represented Saudi Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz AlSaud when insurance carriers and September 11 survivors sued him and others for financing terrorists. Treasury Department documents provided evidence of extensive financial support for AlQaeda and other extremist groups by members of the Saudi royal family and Prince Naif ran the Al Haramain Foundation, a Saudi charity that diverted funds to AlQaeda before and after September 11, 2001.In an opinion piece published by a legal journal, Cole likened the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to the domestic crimes of murder, rape and child abuse, while arguing that the attackers ought to be treated like domestic criminals. The piece, which was included in material turned into the Senate Judiciary Committee that considered his nomination, had more to do with protecting the rights of the accused than shielding the country from terrorism, according to Judicial Watch.Cole also made a killing when hisfriends including Eric Holder at the Justice Department hired him to work as an independent monitor reviewing the activities of insurance giant AIG. He got 20 million for his effort, even though the company collapsed and got a monstrous 182.3 billion government bailout. Some of the money will be paid back but the bailout is estimated to cost U.S. taxpayers a good 45 billion.Officials at Judicial Watch state that If he gets confirmed Cole will manage the Justice Departments 100,000 employees and serve as its top official when the attorney general is unable to do so. He will also be one of the agencys most important public figures, on Capitol Hill and events nationwide.Essentially, he will run the agency charged with enforcing the law and ensuring public safety against foreign and domestic threats.