The Evolving Nature of Material Support

It has been over 25 years since the "material support" statutes, 18 U.S.C. § 2339A and 18 U.S.C. § 2339B, have been on the books and have since been central to the US Department of Justice’s efforts to prosecute terrorists. Moreover, it has been over two decades since the FISA wall separating intelligence and law enforcement came down. What does "material support" encompass? How have "material support" prosecutions evolved during this time? And are these measures up to date with current threats?

To discuss these dynamics, the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University hosted a high-profile online discussion on Tuesday April 30th, at 10 am ET. After a short introduction by PoE Director Lorenzo Vidino, the event was moderated by PoE Senior Research Fellow and recently retired US Department of Justice prosecutor Jeff Breinholt. It featured the insights from:

• Zainab Ahmad, Partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and Former Terrorism Prosecutor, Eastern District of New York
• Michael Mullaney, Chief, Counterterrorism Section, National Security Division, DoJ (ret.)
• Steven Ward, Counterterrorism Section, National Security Division, DoJ (ret.)