(New York, NY) – The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) announced today that former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Michael Garcia, has joined the organization’s advisory board alongside former U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman, former State Department official Farah Pandith, former U.S. Ambassador Dennis Ross and other leaders in the global community.
Mr. Garcia, a partner in Kirkland & Ellis, LLP’s offices in New York and Washington, D.C., has successfully prosecuted numerous investigations into international terrorism, national security matters and white collar crimes. His impressive résumé includes his tenure as U.S. Attorney from 2005-2008, his role as Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Custom Enforcement at the U.S. Department of Homeland Secretary and a brief stint as Acting Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
“Mike’s reputation as one of the premier lawyers in the U.S. precedes him, and we are thrilled to have someone with his tenacity and respect for the law on our team,” said Mark Wallace, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Chief Executive Officer of CEP. “With Mike’s guidance, we will identify and take action against those who provide support to extremist groups like ISIS, Boko Haram and Al Qaeda. His experience in prosecuting some of the most significant investigations into securities fraud, corruption and international terrorism will be of exceptional value to CEP.”
Mr. Garcia’s first foray into prosecution of international terrorism came during his first term in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Serving as a federal prosecutor from 1992 until 2001, Michael oversaw the prosecution of a number of high-profile national security cases, including the 1993 terrorist bombing of the World Trade Center, the 1995 plot to bomb jetliners flying from Southeast Asia to the United States, and the 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassies in East Africa. He received the Department of Justice’s Exceptional Service Award twice, as well as the Distinguished Service Award, for his work on those cases. As United States Attorney from 2005 to 2008, Mr. Garcia oversaw a number of the country’s most significant terrorism prosecutions, including charges against those who provided material support to terrorist groups. He also chaired the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee on Terrorism and National Security.
“I am thrilled to be joining this all-too-important organization, and to be taking on the powers behind extremist groups whose sole goal is to destroy the U.S. and its allies,” said Mr. Garcia. “My years in the U.S. Attorney’s office provided a firsthand look at the tragic effects of terrorism, and I look forward to continuing the fight against extremism alongside my good friends Mark Wallace, Senator Lieberman and the other extraordinary leaders of CEP.”
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