Getting Away With Murder
The True Story Behind American Taliban John Walker Lindh and What the U.S. Government Had to Hide
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- £8.49
Publisher Description
Getting Away With Murder is an explosive investigation into the death of an American hero, the strange case of the “American Taliban,” and why we never got the truth about either—until now. When John Walker Lindh was arrested in November 2001, Americans were shocked to learn that one of our own had fought for the Taliban. He would come under further fire for the torture and death of CIA officer Mike Spann. The American public was outraged, and the Bush administration vowed to make an example of the traitor. Why then, after threatening treason and the death penalty, did the government suddenly abandon a trial in favor of a soft plea deal? Richard D. Mahoney puts these questions on trial; the final verdict promises to be shocking.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mahoney claims that his new book puts not only John Walker Lindh on trial but the entire U.S. government, for what he calls its treasonous double dealings with states that aid terrorists. Part biography of Lindh, part courtroom transcript, part military field report and in large part conjecture, the book, while often muddled and disconnected, raises important questions about the precarious nature of the U.S.'s alliances with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The author claims, as have others, that the U.S. enabled the rise of the Taliban by arming the mujahideen fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Most readers will find, though, that the charge that this constitutes treason ignores the complexity of the geopolitical landscape. Mahoney's second claim is that, because of its insatiable thirst for oil and profit, the U.S. habitually turns a blind eye to Saudi Arabia's and Pakistan's support of terrorism. The author's main charge, however, is that the Justice Department abruptly stopped Lindh's trial for fear of what might be revealed. This charge ignores what the judge noted: the evidence of Lindh's conspiracy to kill Americans was far from compelling, though Mahoney weakly argues the opposite. While providing much fodder for conspiracy theorists, Mahoney (Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy) falls short of making his sweeping indictments stick.
