A New York judge yesterday blasted federal “sequestration” cuts, calling it “stunning” that they could force him to delay the start of a terrorism trial for Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law.
Manhattan federal Judge Lewis Kaplan appeared flabbergasted when a defense lawyer for Sulaiman Abu Ghaith said mandatory work furloughs would make it “very difficult to be ready” for trial by September.
Kaplan began calling the situation “ironic” before noting that was “not exactly the right word.”
“It’s extremely troublesome to contemplate the possibility of a case of this nature being delayed by sequestration,” Kaplan said.
“Let me say only that.”
After a pause, Kaplan added: “Stunning.”
Outside court, public defender Phil Weinstein said lawyers working for the Federal Defenders of New York — which is representing Abu Ghaith on the taxpayers’ dime — have to take 27 days of unpaid leave before October.
Weinstein said the forced time off was his office’s response to a 20 percent funding shortfall that’s part of $1.6 billion in across-the-board government spending cuts that went into effect last month.
The budget trimming was automatically triggered when President Obama and congressional Republicans failed to reach a deal to reduce the nation’s staggering $16 trillion-plus debt load.
Kaplan’s remarks came after defense lawyer Martin Cohen asked him to schedule a mid-January date for Abu Ghaith’s trial.
Kaplan responded that “January is a possibility, but so, too, is September or sometime thereafter,” prompting Cohen to note that the defense needed time to conduct an “overseas investigation” and translate reams of evidence, in addition to getting furloughed for 5 1/2 weeks.
Abu Ghaith, who formerly served as al Qaeda’s spokesman, is charged with conspiracy to kill US nationals for acts that include an inflammatory speech he gave the day after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, brazenly warning America and its allies that a “great army is gathering against you.”
Abu Ghaith — who appeared alongside bin Laden and the late terror master’s chief deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri — also urged Muslims around the world to wage war on “the Jews, the Christians and the Americans.”
He gave the feds an “extensive post-arrest statement” that’s 22 pages long, but which sources said provided no new information.