American Tragedy: Obama Terror Lawyer Clashed With Aspen Bureaucrats Over $20 Million Home Expansion

Neal Katyal is a multifaceted man. He's a Georgetown Law professor who served as acting solicitor general of the United States under former president Barack Obama. He's a hotshot attorney and partner at Hogan Lovells who represents a range of clients, including al Qaeda terrorists detained at Guantanamo Bay. He once defended Big Chocolate conglomerates accused of abetting child slavery and torture by citing the fact that the manufacturer of the Zyklon B poison gas used in Nazi concentration camps was never indicted at the Nuremberg trials. He's a graduate of Dartmouth College and Yale Law School. He's also a #Resistance icon who was named a GQ Man of the Year in 2017 for his vocal opposition to Donald Trump. He's a frequent contributor to MSNBC and the New York Times, obviously, but he's also a humble homeowner who is just trying to do what's best for his family.

Several years ago, Katyal found himself in a predicament that nearly all hard-working Americans have experienced at one point in their lives. After purchasing a second home in Aspen, Colo., designed by the famous architect Harry Teague, for $5.5 million, Katyal decided the four-bedroom house wasn't big enough for his liking. At the time, he also owned a $2.3 million residence in Chevy Chase, Md. Aspen was a natural fit for Katyal, given its popularity among celebrities and Democratic elites. The affluent ski town is also just a five-hour drive to ADX Florence, the federal penitentiary where several of his former al Qaeda clients are housed. It was also a wise investment, as the value of Katyal's mountain abode has increased almost 250 percent, to $19.2 million, in less than a decade. He has occasionally listed the property for rent for the reasonable price of just $45,000 per month. Roughly midway through the first Trump administration, with the economy booming thanks to historic tax cuts, Katyal decided it was time to expand.

Alas, Katyal's dream of enlarging his deluxe vacation home was initially dashed by the meddling bureaucrats on the Aspen Planning and Zoning Commission. The officials concluded that the planned expansion, which included a third-floor patio and office space, as well as a solar-panel installation, would run afoul of the posh town's residential design standards. That meant Katyal would have to submit an application for special permission and demonstrate that breaking the rules was "clearly necessary for reasons of fairness." Katyal was determined to put his brilliant legal mind to work and prove that, like his fellow liberal elites, he could excel when it comes to sucking up to authority. So that's precisely what he did.

In a letter submitted in November 2018, Katyal and his wife, Joanna Rosen, pleaded with the planning commission to approve their expansion plans. "We worked hard to save up every possible minute to buy this house," they wrote. "We were attracted to the beautiful, minimal Harry Teague design, and loved the way the house enlivened the street and surrounding structures. We have three teenage children, and my mother lives with us as well, so we knew at the time that we would ultimately want to create separate spaces for everyone."

The couple explained how committed they were to maintaining the "integrity" of the community and cited Katyal's professional expertise on the subject. "Neal's academic writing is about architecture, community, and the law, and he has published in places like Yale Law Journal about it," they wrote. "Indeed, Neal is giving the commencement speech at Aspen High School in June of 2019, where his whole theme will be about the need to consider ourselves part of a community, and live our lives by making such choices." They were adamant about their desire to "avoid a McMansion or anything of that sort."

Katyal brought a few of his friends to the planning commission's meeting in December 2018. They described him as "an important future Aspen local" and noted his family's desire to "contribute to the community and live like Aspenites." Katyal reiterated his desire to eventually retire there. The commission eventually approved the request, but the vote was not unanimous. The lone holdout said she simply "could not approve this in good conscience using the code that she is allowed to use," according to the minutes of the meeting.

Katyal does not appear to have completed the expansion, likely due to the onset of COVID-19, followed by the horrific inflation engineered by President Joe Biden's failed policies. But he continues to enjoy his Aspen getaway. According to his Instagram account, Katyal recently hosted a large gathering there catered by celebrity chef Russell Jackson. Among the invited guests were other #Resistance icons such as Katie Couric and MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle.

Katyal's courage in the face of adversity is the epitome of the American Dream. Above all, it validates his elite status and suggests this country would be a better place to live if more people listened to his opinions and stopped being so mean to terrorists and child traffickers. Elites are people, too, just like you. They deserve to be taken seriously.

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