NEW: While Captain Mike Bouchard Fought ISIS, Christina Hines’ Law Firm Defended ISIS Terrorist

U.S. Army veteran Captain Mike Bouchard earned a Bronze Star for his leadership as a member of a joint task force in the global fight against ISIS.

A shocking new report highlights that “while Republican congressional candidate Mike Bouchard was deployed to Iraq on a mission to counter ISIS, his Democrat opponent Christina Hines worked at a law firm that defended a man working to provide support to the designated terrorist organization.”

“While Captain Mike Bouchard was in Iraq risking his life to hunt and destroy ISIS terrorists, soft on crime Christina Hines was cashing checks at a law firm defending an ISIS operative who tried to join the death cult and support it from American soil. The contrast is stark: Bouchard fought terrorists. Hines’ firm protected one. Michigan voters will reject her extremism and pro-crime record.”– NRCC Spokesman Zach Bannon

Read more from The Midwesternerhere or see excerpts below:

Christina Hines’ law firm defended ISIS terrorist at same time Mike Bouchard was fighting ISIS in Iraq
The Midwesterner
Travers Koory
October 28, 2026

While Republican congressional candidate Mike Bouchard was deployed to Iraq on a mission to counter ISIS, his Democratic opponent Christina Hines worked at a law firm that defended a man working to provide support to the designated terrorist organization.

Hines worked at Mogill, Lemanski & Gerometta in 2025, when the firm represented Aws Mohammed Naser, a former Westland resident convicted in federal court of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and possessing a destructive device.

Naser was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in May, nearly a year after a jury found him guilty of the charges. The case stemmed from a lengthy federal terrorism investigation that revealed Naser attempted to join ISIS overseas before turning his attention to supporting the organization from the United States.

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Naser was convicted on June 3, 2025 following a five-week trial in federal court in Detroit. The jury found him guilty of two counts of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and one count of being a felon in possession of a destructive device, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Evidence presented during the trial showed that Naser shared extremist ideological material online and developed a close relationship with Russell Dennison, an aspiring Salafi-jihadist preacher. The two traveled to Iraq together in early 2012.

Naser returned to Michigan later that year, while Dennison traveled to Syria and joined Al Nusrah Front, a terrorist organization affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq that preceded ISIS.

According to federal prosecutors, Naser continued communicating with Dennison and discussed the terrorist group’s need for money to acquire firearms. Naser also attempted twice to leave the United States to travel to Syria, but he was prevented from boarding his flights.

In January 2013, Naser purchased a one-way ticket from Chicago to Beirut, Lebanon. Hours before the scheduled flight, he robbed a gas station and later attempted to board the flight with $2,000, according to the Justice Department. He was denied boarding and returned to Michigan.

Naser was convicted of armed robbery and served three years in prison.

After his release, Naser shifted his efforts to supporting ISIS from the United States. He created social media accounts and joined private online groups used by ISIS supporters, where he accessed propaganda and sought information about explosives.

The investigation eventually led to an FBI search of Naser’s home and vehicle in October 2017, when authorities recovered a readily assemblable destructive device.

U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. noted Naser attempted to travel overseas to fight for ISIS before gathering drones and building a bomb in his basement.

The FBI’s Detroit Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case, which was prosecuted by federal attorneys from the Eastern District of Michigan and the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

Prosecutors sought a 35-year sentence, arguing that Naser remained a danger to the public, while his defense attorneys sought a 10-year sentence, arguing his conduct occurred years earlier and he should be judged on his actions rather than his thoughts or speech, according to The Detroit News.

Naser’s defense included attorneys Amanda Bashi and James Gerometta of Mogill, Lemanski & Gerometta, Hines’ employment at the firm in 2025 overlapped with the year of Naser’s conviction.

Bouchard’s military service provides a contrasting backdrop to the case as the two candidates compete for the congressional seat currently held by Congressman John James, the Republican nominee for governor.

An Army captain and paratrooper, Bouchard served in the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and spent nine months deployed to Iraq with a joint task force fighting against ISIS. He received the Bronze Star for his service.

Bouchard returned from Iraq in October 2025 and launched his congressional campaign shortly afterward that emphasized how his military experience provided firsthand knowledge of national security threats and the consequences of decisions made by federal leaders.

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