Neal Sonnett
Neal Sonnett
Neal Sonnett is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney. He was the 1989 winner of the Robert C. Heeney Memorial Award and in 2008 the American Bar Association Senior Lawyers Division presented him with the John H. Pickering Award Of Achievement. He was the American Bar Association's observer at Guantanamo...
against allow cannot constitution country desire fight president rights shoulder stand terrorism victim
We should stand shoulder to shoulder with the president in our desire to fight terrorism in this country and around the world, but we cannot allow the Constitution and our rights to become victim to our fight against terrorism.
ability limit trying
We are not trying to limit the President's ability to go after terrorists.
agreement announcing
We'll be announcing that we have a plea agreement.
comply
We do not say surveillance should be stopped, only that it comply with the law.
case charges counts dismiss district government imposed indictment miami recommend remaining result run sentence time today
The government will dismiss the remaining counts of the Miami indictment at the time of sentencing and will also recommend that the sentence imposed in the Miami case run concurrently to any sentence imposed as a result of charges filed today in the District of Columbia.
broad criminal defense expect fair issue lawyer lead less understand whether
You would expect a translator to take his lead from the defense lawyer and you would not expect that translator to understand the intricacies of a very broad criminal statute. There is a real issue whether it's even fair to charge, much less convict, someone like him.
entry formal guilty pro
It was a very pro forma hearing, just the formal entry of his not guilty plea,
asking bottom bring details intention sentence
It's not our intention to bring any details of cooperation. All we're asking for is a sentence at the bottom of the guidelines.
cap feather
If he pleads guilty, then there's a feather in the cap of the prosecution quickly,
agencies complete continue cooperate course department follow fully hard justice law matter months work
He will continue to work hard to fully cooperate with the Department of Justice and law enforcement agencies and to make restitution to all victims. This is the course he set out many months ago and the course he intends to follow and complete no matter how long it takes.
certainly interest issues
It certainly is in everybody's interest to keep these issues confidential.
allow decision details domestic government nsa
I think that's just government stonewalling. It's more of the same decision not to allow any details of NSA domestic surveillance to get out.