Andy McCarthy: 9/11 Wasn’t an Isolated Incident
Andy McCarthy, a contributor to Fox News and the prosecutor in the case against the Blind Sheikh, shared insights regarding the potential for Afghanistan to become a refuge for terrorists.
Dr. Adam Hisham Hamawi, a trauma surgeon and now a plastic surgeon operating a regenerative medicine clinic near Princeton, has recently risen as a leading candidate to succeed the retiring House Democrat. However, his association with an Egyptian cleric linked to terrorism—a defense witness for the Blind Sheikh—has raised eyebrows.
Sheikh Omar Abdelrahman was implicated in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, for which he was convicted of seditious conspiracy. He passed away in 2017 while incarcerated in North Carolina.
Mr. Hamawi, having testified for Abdelrahman, is now undergoing scrutiny concerning the cleric’s decisions and their past interactions. His camp argues this scrutiny amounts to an unfair “crime by association.”
Howie is in the race to fill Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman’s seat in a predominantly Democratic district that has not seen a Republican elected since 1994.
In a related context, the Democratic primary in New Jersey has drawn 13 candidates vying for Sherrill’s seat, ahead of a significant electoral battle in 2026.
Mr. Hamawi’s initial encounter with Abdelrahman dates back to 1991 at a middle school event in New Jersey. He began accompanying the cleric on mosque visits, even embarking on lengthy road trips for Islamic events. Notably, he recounted a moment where Abdelrahman was boasting about his bomb-making skills during a stay in Michigan.
Abdelrahman often discussed concepts of jihad and voiced fantasies about assassinating the then-President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak. Reports indicate that his mosque served as a gathering point for several suspects linked to the World Trade Center incident.
Though he didn’t directly partake in the bombing, associates who frequented his mosque did, leading to Abdelrahman’s prosecution for plotting urban attacks against U.S. landmarks.
RNC spokesperson Kristen Cianci remarked that Mr. Hamawi’s past as a witness is well-documented, implying that his campaign may try to downplay it, but voters are unlikely to overlook it.
A federal prosecutor’s assessment characterized Hamawi as someone who wanted to protect Abdelrahman’s image, suggesting his testimony might have inadvertently bolstered the government’s case. McCarthy, the former prosecutor, claimed that Hamawi’s input aided the prosecution more than the defense.
Despite this, Mr. Hamawi finds himself facing criticism from Republican circles, as he recently appeared on a far-left anti-Israel podcast advocating for reallocating defense funding toward healthcare and education.
Throughout his campaign, he has condemned media coverage regarding his past collaborations with Abdelrahman, asserting they reflect a broader attempt by wealthy Republicans to manipulate narrative surrounding him as a candidate.
Hamawi’s campaign reiterated that their candidate’s values of patriotism came from his efforts to aid victims of the World Trade Center attacks, asserting that accusations against him are grounded in prejudicial guilt by association.
The voters will ultimately determine if Mr. Hamawi’s past involvement denotes a legal requirement or hints at larger issues regarding his judgment amidst a crowded field of candidates.
