Canadian Media See Controversy in Law School Hire of Deputy AG Who Signed Rendition Order
Another law school is drawing fire for hiring a former Justice Department official, but so far it’s been mostly a Canadian controversy.
Inside Higher Ed has a story on the hire of former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson, who is joining the University of Georgia law school as a professor. Thompson, who recently retired as general counsel for PepsiCo, led the Justice Department investigation into Enron and previously was a partner at King & Spalding, UGA News Service says.
But the Canadian news media is focusing on Thompson’s signature on rendition papers for Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen detained at the airport in New York and sent to Syria for interrogation. Arar says he was beaten and tortured before Syria determined he had no connection to terrorism.
Arar was defended by the Center for Constitutional Rights, which issued a statement on Wednesday expressing “profound concern” about the law school’s decision to hire Thompson.
The Canadian Press and CBC News covered CCR’s statement.
