As for Stimson’s status at the time as a government official, government officials discuss publicly the conduct of business enterprises all the time.

Indeed, they do more than that — including regulate and investigate them (and that includes law firms). Stimson’s revelation that certain elite law firms and lawyers are tripping all over themselves to represent terrorists is wholly rational. Neither he nor any other government official is preventing them from representing the enemy.

We’ve come a long way since 9/11. Since we were attacked by unlawful enemy combatants (aka terrorists) they’ve acquired legal rights never before imagined. And here on National Review’s website, we have arguments being made that even mentioning the lawyers and firms that represent them is somehow out-of-bounds. This is the absurdity of dragging this war into the legal system. A deputy assistant secretary of defense was forced to resign because he dared to make public the connection between members of the legal community and the enemy. How pathetic. And the administration didn’t have the guts to back this guy up. Also pathetic.