Posted on 06/27/2008 3:39:56 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
U.S. to pay $2.8 million to settle anthrax lawsuit Fri Jun 27, 2008 5:36pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Friday it would pay former Army scientist Steven Hatfill over $2.8 million to settle his lawsuit accusing officials of violating his privacy rights by talking to the media and unfairly implicating him in anthrax attacks in 2001.
Hatfill, a bioterrorism expert who formerly worked at the Army Medical Institute of Infectious Disease at Fort Detrick in Maryland, has denied any involvement in the mailings of the anthrax-laced letters that killed five people weeks after the September 11 hijacked plane attacks.
In 2002, federal law enforcement officials, including Attorney General John Ashcroft, called Hatfill a "person of interest" in connection with the investigation into the anthrax attacks. Hatfill then sued various Justice Department officials, including Ashcroft.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
ping
Hope it’s Tax Free.Forever
So that’s where my money goes?
The perps should have to pay it from their own pockets.
new YouTube video re Hatfill, Al Qaeda, the anthrax letters, the leaking etc.
The Anthrax Letters: Summons to Conquest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-NGKm4xxC4
What surprises is me is that Hatfill walks. Innocence is irrelevant when government has a case to make.
I’ll always believe Hatfill was picked to be the fall guy .
He was picked to be the fall guy to avoid a panic.
I posted my comments to another thread.
But, let me repeat this here: Anyone who claims that what happened to Dr. Hatfill is all the fault of the FBI just doesn't know what he's talking about.
This was the work of a bunch of idiot conspiracy theorists led by Barbara Hatch Rosenberg who led the media (particularly The New York Times) around by the nose.
$2.8 million is nowhere near enough. Must have had a crummy lawyer.
It’s actually $5.8 million according to other articles — the $2.8 million is the up-front payment and then the govt. buys Hatfield an annuity that will pay him $150K per year for the next 20 years. Of course that’s before his lawyer’s cut. Still, I don’t begrudge him the money — those bozos ruined his life. Barbara Hatch Rosenberg is the one who ought to be paying the settlement (not that she could afford it).
While I surely do NOT want to adopt Barbara Hatch Rosenberg's own irrational, vicious, and possibly actionable MO, I DO think it's reasonable to question if the results she got were the results she sought to get. IOW the results you list above.
Her efforts were certainly NOT casual, they were intense and the intensity lasted over a very long period and with NOTHING reasonable to back them up. Yet she persevered. She wanted something. It may have been to distract from and/or protect the actual perp(s). LOL, how do you like it when it's turned on you, Babsie?
That might be too much justice to hope for , but I hope the trial judge still requires the journalist named IIRC Locy to identify the source .
BS. The FBI is employed with the expectation of professionalism and good judgment. Looney-Tune Conspiracy Theorists are not in charge of the FBI.
Get off your high-horse. I need to shoot it.
what hyperbole!
She made it clear what she wanted from the very beginning. She believed that the Bush Administration was behind the attacks, and that the Bush Administration did it to shoot down the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention (BTWC). She basically stated that at the BTWC in November of 2001.
She and a bunch of others who felt the same way decided that Dr. Hatfill was the "most likely" person to have done what the Bush Administration wanted. So, she began her campaign to get Dr. Hatfill publicly investigated.
The FBI checked out Dr. Hatfill as soon as his name came up, but they found no reason to suspect him. But to the conspiracy theorists, that just meant that the FBI was helping the Bush Administration in a cover-up.
The New York Times joined in, and the campaign went on for SIX MONTHS before Van Harp at the FBI caved in and began the public investigation of Dr. Hatfill.
Get off your high-horse. I need to shoot it.
I'm very comfortable up here on my high-horse, thank you.
As I said: Anyone who claims that what happened to Dr. Hatfill is all the fault of the FBI just doesn't know what he's talking about.
Barbara Hatch Rosenberg began her campaign SIX MONTHS before Dr. Hatfill's name was made public.
She made speeches at scientific conventions, stating that she knew who sent the letters and that the government was covering up the crime.
She did interviews with newspapers all over the world, and they printed what she told them. Nicolas Kristof at The New York Times believed her and began a series of columns that pointed at Dr. Hatfill without actually naming him.
She made speeches at universities. She got people to write their congressmen.
She posted papers on the web site of the Federation of American Scientists stating the facts as she saw them.
THIS WENT ON FOR SIX MONTHS!
In June of 2002, shortly after posting a paper titled "What the FBI Knows," she was summoned before a Senate committee along with Van Harp, who was the head of the Washington Field Office of the FBI.
The staffers in charge of that committee believed what Barbara Hatch Rosenberg told them about Dr. Hatfill. When Van Harp called her an "amateur detective," the committee ORDERED Harp to apologize to her. They also DEMANDED that the FBI check out Dr. Rosenberg's accusations and they DEMANDED that Harp report back to the committee with his findings.
A week later, the public investigation of Dr. Hatfill began. (The FBI had checked him out as soon as his name came up in November of 2001, but they found no reason to suspect him.)
So, while "Looney-Tune Conspiracy Theorists are not in charge of the FBI," they can apply a LOT of pressure when they are believed by newspapers, by the public and by politicians who hold the purse strings which allow the FBI to operate. (In case you have forgotten, there was talk at that time of shutting down the FBI and creating a new agency that would be more interested in going after potential terrorists.)
Most are.
I just wanted to throw a little tiny bit of what that hideous, IMO near psychotic liar did to an innocent man right back at her. I would love to see HER in Hatfil's position of being regarded as the anthrax perp, being widely despised and condemned, losing her livelihood, relationships (if she has any) damaged... all because of unsupportable accusations.
Her target was the Bush administration, but she aimed at and shot an innocent man and I'd so love to see her get it right back in her face.
Also, IMO she is obviously trying to damage my country. What if I could level an accusation against her and destroy HER...
I don't think she's bright enough, honest enough, or decent enough to realize exactly what she did or to regret doing it if she did realize, but I would like to see her experience being on the receiving end. Yeah, I know it's not going to happen. Thank you for permanently recording exactly what she did, who and what she is.
In early August 2002, the head of the District of Columbia Field Office initiated a leak investigation related to Amerithrax information. The first leak investigation concerned leak of bloodhound story to Newsweek (according to email discussed in deposition of lead prosecutor Daniel Seikaly in which he repeatedly pled the Fifth Amendment). A memo from DC Field Office head Van Harp read:
TO: OPR
NSD
From: Washington Field
ADIC’s Office: Harp Van A (202) xxx-xxxx
***
Title: UNSUB
UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE AND/OR
MEDIA LEAK IN CONNECTION WITH THE
AMERITHRAX INVESTIGATION
***
[REDACTED]
[REDACTED]
The appearance of this information in the media affects the conduct of this investigation as well as the morale of the dedicated personnel who have expended enormous energy and effort on this investigation.
As such, I am requesting that either a media leak or OPR investigation be initiated. In the event a leak investigation is initiated then the enclosed LRM should be hand delivered to AAG Chertoff. [REDACTED]
The investigation was closed in October 2002. The memo read:
Date: October 8, 2002
To: Mr. H. Marshall Jarrett
Counsel
Office of Professional Responsibility
United States Department of Justice
From: David W. Szady
Assistant Director
Counterintelligence Division
Subject: [REDACTED[
The purpose of this memorandum is to notify your office of the closing of the FBI’s criminal investigation of the captioned media leak matter. It is the understanding of the FBI that your continUed investigation of this matter will be pursued by your office.
[REDACTED]
***
After a January 9, 2003 “exclusive” report by ABC’s Brian Ross that the FBI was focusing on Hatfill and was going to conduct a second round of interviews with other former and current government scientists so that they might rule them out by the process of elimination, the FBI initiated a second media leak investigation. This time it was to proceed with “extreme zeal.”
The memo read:
Precedence: PRIORITY Date: 1/13/2003
To: Director’s Office
Washington Field
From: Washington Field
Contact Richard L. Lambert 202-xxx-xxxx
Approved by: Harp Van
Lambert Richard L
Title: AMERITHRAX
MAJOR CASE 184
00: WFO
Synopsis: To request the opening of new OPR media leak investigation regarding captioned case.
[large redacted passages]
To demonstrate the seriousness with which the FBI views this matter, it is requested that the OPR inquiry commence with an interview of IIC Rick Lambert who will waive all Fifth Amendment privileges and accede to a voluntary polygraph examination to set a tone of candor, forthrightness and cooperation.
[redacted]
The instant matter is the second unauthorized media disclosure to occur in this investigation. Its potential detriment to the effective prosecution of the case is substantial. Accordingly, in the interests of both specific and general deterrence, the Inspector in Charge requests that this OPR inquiry be pursued with unprecedent zeal.”
A June 2003 email then shut the barn door long after the horse had left the barn door:
From: DEBRA WEIERMAN
To: Lisa Hodgson
Date: Wed, June 4, 2003 12:18 PM
Subject: AMERITHRAX INVESTIGATION
Lisa: Please disseminate to all WFO employees. Thanks, Debbie
For the information of all recipients, Director Mueller has ordered that no one discuss the AMERITHRAX case with any representative of the news media. The WFO and Baltimore Media Offices have released several media advisories, which were coordinated with the US Attorney and FBIHQ, to explain specific milestones in the case. However, NO FBI WFO EMPLOYEE, INCLUDING MYSELF AND INSPECTOR RICK LAMBERT, WHO IS IN CHARGE OF AMERITHRAX, IS TO RESPOND TO ANY MEDIA INQUIRIES, THE ONLY EXCEPTION IS DEBBIE WEIERMAN IN THE MEDIA OFFICE. All inquiries from reporters or journalists received by any WFO employee are to be immediately referred to Debbie at xxx-xxxx, and she will handle.
I thank everyone at WFO for their dedication to the job and to this office. I also thank you for your cooperation in this very important matter.
Mike Rolince
In October 2007, the former Criminal Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Daniel Seikaly, was deposed in the civil rights action by Steve Hatfill about whether he was the source of leaks relating to Steve Hatfill in connection the use of bloodhounds in the anthrax investigation and the draining of ponds in Frederick, Maryland. Key stories appeared in Newsweek and Washington Post. Attorney Seikaly pled the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination in connection with most substantive questions.
Attorney Seikaly has had a very distinguished career. In 2001, Mr. Seikaly went from being Assistant Inspector General for Investigations at the Central Intelligence Agency to Criminal Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. There he supervised eighty-five Assistant United States Attorneys involved in the prosecution of all federal offenses in the District of Columbia. He also served as a technical expert for U.S. Department of State funded rule of law programs in Croatia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, and Thailand. Before accepting the appointment to Criminal Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Mr. Seikaly was Assistant Inspector General for Investigations at the Central Intelligence Agency. While with the CIA, a profile at his current law firm’s webpage explains, “he conducted and supervised numerous investigations concerning allegations of misconduct by employees, contractors and vendors involved in CIA programs. In that position, he routinely interacted with senior officials within the intelligence community, other executive branch agencies and Congress concerning intelligence investigations.” The profile continues: “From 1996 to 1998, Daniel served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice and was Director of the Department’s Executive Office for National Security. There he was responsible for the coordination and oversight of the national security activities of the Department of Justice, including intelligence operations, international law enforcement, relations with foreign countries and the use of classified information. Reporting directly to the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General and acting with their authority in national security matters, Daniel was a primary point of contact between the Department of Justice and other executive branch agencies with national security interests such as the National Security Council, the Department of State and the Department of Defense.”
Here are some excerpts from the deposition:
“Q. Hecalls this article, quote ‘An exclusive look at the search for the perpetrator of America’s worst bioterror attack.” Did you tell Mr. Klaidman [of Newsweek] that you were giving him an exclusive on this information?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
Q. Did you tell Mr. Klaidman that the FBI was acting on a tip when it searched the pond in Frederick?
Q. Did you tell Mr. Klaidman that FBI agents had interviewed the acquaintance of Dr. Hatfill’s that was supposedly the tipster?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
Q. Did you tell Mr. Klaidman that the acquaintance had told the FBI that Dr. Hatfill said toxic bacteria could be made in the woods and the evidence could be tossed in the lake?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
Q. Did you tell Mr. Klaidman that the FBI might drain the entire pond the month after this report?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
[Lawyer defending deposition] Mark, let me say something on the record so we all understand the assertion because the manner in which — or the type of questions you’re asking here. My client has been instructed to assert the Fifth Amendment privilege regardless of whether or not the answer to the question would be yes or no, because even if the answer were to be no, if he answered no to certain questions, I think an inference could be drawn from that as to what he does or doesn’t know.
So I just want to make sure you understand in terms of our Fifth Amendment assertion here is that he’s asserting the Fifth Amendment privilege to questions that may have a yes or no answer, and it’s not fair to assume that the answer to every one of these questions would be yes or no if he were to answer the questions. Does that make sense?
Q. It makes sense, but we will be seeking an adverse inference as to all questions where the fifth amendment is taken.
***
Q. Mr. Seikaly, do you deny any of the statements attributed to you by Mr. Klaidman with respect to the [Newsweek bloodhound story]
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
Q Is it actually even true whether the search of the pond was prompted by a tip?
Q. Are you aware of any information that might have been used as a predicate for the pond search having been obtained as the fruits of electronic surveillance?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
Q Did you tell Mr. Klaidman that agents might be looking for a wet suit that could have been used to dispose of — that could have been used and disposed of by the anthrax attacker?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
***
Q. Did you give Allan Lengel of The Washington Post any information reflected in this article?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
Q. Mr. Lengel has testified that you told him the FBI search of the pond in Frederick was tied to Steven Hatfill and that it was triggered by a hypothetical statement Dr. Hatfill has made about anthrax; is that correct?
A. That Mr. Lengel testified about that?
Q. Is it correct that you told Mr. Lengel about those things?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
Q. How did you know that the FBI’s search of the pond in Frederick was tied to Steven Hatfill?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
***
Q. Why did you decide to disclose information to Mr. Lengel about the pond search?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
***
Q Did you tell Mr. Lengel that the items recovered from the pond up to that point included a clear box with holes that could accommodate gloves?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
***
Q Did you tell Mr. Lengel that the items recovered from the pond up that point included vials wrapped in plastic?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
Q. Do you specifically deny making any statement that Mr. Lengel has attributed to you?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
***
Q. How did you know that tests for the presence of anthrax bacteria on the equipment were continuing after two rounds of tests produced conflicting results?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
Q. Why did you disclose that information to Mr. Lengel?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
***
Q Did you tell Mr. Lengel that the search of the pond in Frederick netted nothing but a hodgepodge of items that did not appear to be linked to the case?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
***
Q If we take the dates from Exhibits É, it appears that you disclosed investigative information to Mr. Lengel for articles that appeared in January 2003, May 2003, June 2003 and August 2003. Is that right?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
***
Q. É Do you know whether you ever saw this e-mail before?
A. I don’t believe I have.
Q. Okay. Let’s look at the partially redacted paragraph. It says, quote, “WFO [Washington Field Office] has opened a leak investigation in an attempt to find out who spoke to Newsweek Magazine over the weekend about the bureau’s use of bloodhounds in the anthrax investigation,” closed quote. Do you see that?
A. I do.
Q. And the date of the email is August 5th, 2002.
A. That’s correct.
Q. The investigation that’s referenced here is about the story that you gave Mr. Klaidman, is it not?
A. Assert my Fifth Amendment Privilege in response.
***
Q. Okay. In the bottom e-mail, when Blier begins, “here is a summary of my conversation with Glen about the anthrax leak investigation.” Now, Bill Blier worked for you, did he not?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you know what Mr. Blier was referring to when he referred to, quote, the anthrax leak investigation?
A. I believe that it was an investigation involving the possible compromise of classified information is my understanding. I did know about an investigation in that.
***
Q And do you know whether that had anything to do with bloodhounds or Newsweek?
A I don’t believe it did but I don’t know.
***
Q You were aware of an anthrax investigation, yes?
A. I was — I was aware that there was a discussion of an investigation involving the compromise of classified information arising from the anthrax investigation, the Amerithrax investigation. I do recall knowing that we were — we and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Justice Department were concerned about this and were seeking to find out who compromised the classified information.
***
Q. Did you think it remarkable in any way that bloodhounds could track a scent from anthrax letters that were ten months old to a Denny’s in Louisiana where someone had eaten the day before?
[deponent invokes Fifth Amendment]
His daughter has represented Ali Al-Timimi pro bono in defense of his prosecution for sedition.
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