Posted on 06/28/2008 11:24:55 AM PDT by Shermy
(Washington, D.C.) – The following is a statement from Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) in reaction to today’s announcement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that it had agreed to pay former Army biowarfare expert Dr. Steven Hatfill $5.8 million in a settlement related to the FBI’s previously naming Hatfill a “person of interest” in the investigation of the 2001 anthrax letter attacks on the United States. The attacks originated from a postal box in Holt’s central New Jersey congressional district, disrupting the lives and livelihoods of many of his constituents:
“As today’s settlement announcement confirms, this case was botched from the very beginning. The FBI did a poor job of collecting evidence, and then inappropriately focused on one individual as a suspect for too long, developing an erroneous ‘theory of the case’ that has led to this very expensive dead end. The Bureau has for years stiff-armed the Congress every time it has sought information on the status of this case and the lessons learned from it. That is unacceptable. In the coming days, I will issue a request for Director Mueller to come before the House Committee on Appropriations’ Select Intelligence Oversight Panel, which I chair, to explain this most recent development and provide the Panel with a status report on the investigation.”
Very strong words from the congressman.
It’s Bush’s fault.
The FBI had two different compartmentalized squads pursuing entirely different theories. Hatfill was just one candidate, though he came to be the main one, of one of the two investigative squads. I think the FBI has a far keener understanding of the matter than most any public commenter. Specifically, almost all those commenters who think Al Qaeda or US-based supporters are responsible don’t realize that (and in that way are clueless) that is also what the FBI thinks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-NGKm4xxC4
Good luck to Holt in obtaining any new information from Mueller - he’ll just get the usual “we are working tirelessly and are committed to solving th case” BS.
And I’m sure the FBI’s flat refusal to brief congress won’t deter Ed Lake’s belief that, in a completely opposite manner, it was Barbara Hatch Rosenberg and Congress that “forced” the FBI to pursue Hatfill.
Strange how Rush Holt and Grassley can’t get a peep out of the FBI but BHR managed to get a 5 year relentless pursuit of Hatfill.
It’s CYA.
I was thinking what I would ask for. I think if I were him I would ask for microscope photos of the atx. Wouldn’t that resolve the question whether the atx was “weaponized” with silica or other? How would national security be compromised by merely looking at photos?
bump
More than strong words are needed.
$5.8 mil is a nice payoff— for losing your job, having everyone assume ‘that you really did it,’ character assination in the media, and having to put up with the full weight of federal law enforcement breathing down your neck. Just ask Richard Jewell, oops.
The only thing I resent about the payout is-—I’m paying it.
Those naives who believe every word from law enforcement should be on the hook, as should that disgrace AG AssCrotch.
The FBI is never going to “out” the leftist within its midst who slimed Hatfill...much less admit that the perpetrators of the anthrax attack can’t be named due to current geopolitical considerations (e.g. Pakistan flipped over to our side to fight against Al Qaeda).
He will likely also be suing a number of media outlets, as well.
Every $ he gets from those vultures he deserves.
This is where I support ridiculous jury awards.
“I think if I were him I would ask for microscope photos of the atx.Wouldn’t that resolve the question whether the atx was “weaponized” with silica or other? “
Hmmmmm......
“This is where I support ridiculous jury awards.”
thing is, it wasn’t a jury award, it was an out of court settlement with DOJ/FBI .. which means those Agencies didn’t want to go to trial for any number of reasons. A jury award would likely have been a good deal higher.
The latter three occupation categories contain the core of USPS total systems understanding. In fact, the classification analysts write the regulations that direct the conduct of the public with respect to the use of the mails.
What little public information the FBI has provided concerning how mail moves, etc., has demonstrated only the most primitive of understandings.
Decades back there wasn't an FBI agent who hadn't paid for his college education by working at least part time in a post office. Today student loans have destroyed that category of FBI employee.
Plus, the Postal Inspection Service has a far higher conviction rate than does the FBI, so there might well be some interagency rivalry in this ~ another form of "compartmentalization" I suppose.
It's not too late to restart the investigation, but this time they should not be so quick to "pursue a theory", but instead they should analyze the devil out of the KNOWN FACTS and how those facts correlate with normal postal operations.
The business of digging up 10,000 residential mail boxes and dragging them off to the old GSA warehouse in Springfield VA need not have happened (for just one example).
Hence their interest in diverting the entire investigation into unproductive avenues.
To do that they even gave up a resource at the CIA.
Hey, Dr. Rebel, hasn’t Mr. Lake argued for years that the FBI did not suspect Dr. Hatfill? Doesn’t the story in today’s LA Times warrant that Ed correct his page in this regard?
“Leaks, focus on single suspect undercut anthrax probe,” Los Angeles Times, June 28, 2008
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-probe29-2008jun29,0,1652343.story
Separately, note the sentence: “Leahy later told Vermont students in an online discussion that some of the briefings he received ‘have been highly classified.’”
They have their own investigative division called the Inspection Service which has a better prosecution and conviction record than the FBI.
What this means is the reporter went only to his FBI sources to put together this story.
He also avoids naming Barbara Hatch Rosenberg as the starting point of accusations and malicious charges. Like so many other Leftwingtards this reporter and his editors continue to fear that one of their "friends" in the violent professional left was involved ~ so they continue to protect those people.
Not surprising Daschle's staffers were less than happy to deal with the FBI.
The first one to make a “bioevangelist” argument in the MSM was Frances Boyle, legal advisor to the PLO and counsel to Bosnia and Herzegovina. BHR was a high profile one. But there were numerous others working email. It is misconceived focus to dwell too long on BHR. Her focus on the strain and weaponization (and the apparent connection to the US program) was sound. On Postal Inspectors, my own view is that we needed more involvement by the CIA, not a greater role for the Postal Inspectors. In another post (perhaps another thread) you mentioned some investigator, formerly CIA, who gave incorrect insights to the Task Force. Who were you thinking of? On the sourcing of the LA Times article, my reaction was that the agents named retired years ago. I think one retired in June 2002 as I recall.
“Not surprising Daschle’s staffers were less than happy to deal with the FBI.”
As Ed points out, it was the input by the political staffers that perhaps put the investigation on tilt. But the staffers did nothing wrong. BHR did nothing wrong. (She was just wrong). The FBI had an investigation to conduct and we are not in a position to judge it or second-guess it except to the extent we can see that the leaks of the bloodhound and pond stories were stupid and improper. The media is not even to blame — who else should they rely on if not the fellow receiving reports from the head of the investigation? The folks to blame are those who are strident in their criticism and yet not do not digest that the infiltration of US biodefense here that occurred is as egregious and obvious as that which occurred with Ali Mohammed, OBL’s former intelligence head who was a US Army Sergeant, FBI informant and once worked for the CIA. See Peter Lance’s XXX. That includes most everyone — Holt, Leahy, Daschle etc.
And this article isn't all just anonymous accusations, it names names and the whole nine yards. It's a devastating article regarding the FBI, and one that appears to me in which they have had some of these facts for a while and were simply waiting for Hatfill to finally be exonerated before printing it.
I am going to post this incredible article with an excerpt in a little bit.
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