Amal Clooney Gives First U.S. Television Interview, Talks Using Celeb Status For Good Cause

Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney told that she is using her celebrity status to draw attention to good causes. She was speaking to Cynthia McFadden on “Nightly News With Lester Holt” Thursday. This is her first solo interview in the U.S.

NBC News telecast her interview. There will be one more interview that the American network will air on “The Today Show” Friday. Amal is in U.S. on business, in her capacity as an international human rights lawyer. She gave the interview in her quest to free her client, Mohamed Nasheed, former president of the Maldives. She said that democracy was dead in the country.

"I think it's wonderful that celebrities would choose to spend their time or energy or, you know, the spotlight that they have to raise awareness about these causes. I don't really see myself in the same way because I'm still doing the same job that I used to do before," she said. She added that with her celebrity status, there was a responsibility which was carrying out in an appropriate manner.

This is the first time that people in the US have heard from the attorney outside of the red carpet events that she keeps attending from time to time along with her "arm candy" husband George Clooney. They got to hear her speak about issues close to her heart. It gave the 37-year-old attorney to talk things other than her Hollywood heartthrob husband.

Meanwhile, Amal was pictured meeting with lawmakers such as Senator John McCain on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. The British-Lebanese lawyer along with her co-counsel Jared Genser are currently lobbying Congress to level sanctions against the government of the Maldives unless they release political prisoners.

They discussed human rights issues in Maldives as well as the plight of her client and former president of the country Mohamed Nasheed, who had previously been a human rights activist. “Great meeting w/ @KerafaNaseem, Amal Clooney & @JaredGenser today & standing for #HumanRights in the #Maldives,” McCain tweeted Wednesday. Besides, Gesner also updated his Twitter page with the new developments.

The British barrister is defending Nasheed, who was charged with terrorism and sentenced to 13 years in prison after a much-debated trial. He had been charged of ordering the arrest of a judge while in office.

In October, she and her team won a legal victory when the United Nations’ Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled Nasheed had been not been granted a fair trial. He is the first president to be elected democratically in the history of the Pacific island nation.