He learned to use a walking cane from the Washington State Department of Services for the Blind.

NPR: For Blind Lawmaker, Biography Reflects In Policy

He is the recipient of the Justice Department's highest honors, including the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service, awarded by the Clinton Justice Department after the Blind Sheikh trial.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Andrew C. McCarthy

After many years of service within the Department of Justice and the Southern District of New York as a prosecutor-- famously, for putting "Blind Sheik" Omar Abdul-Rahman behind bars for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing-- Mr. McCarthy began a career as a hugely influential writer on matters of American national security.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Andy McCarthy recieves the Mightier Pen Award