I was just trying to think like an FBI agent.
It was terrible what they did to Hatfill. It was also terrible what they did to Jewell in the Atlanta Olympics bombing and Wen Ho Lee at Los Alamos.
It seems they get fixated on the “usual suspects” and can’t let go. In the mean time the trail gets cold and the real perpetrators get away.
If I believed the FBI was competent, I’d say it might be a conspiracy.
I think it's "terrible" that people refuse to look at the facts about what happened to Dr. Hatfill.
In November of 2001, some conspiracy theorists started a campaign to point the finger at Dr. Hatfill as being the guy who carried out a sinister plot by the Bush Administration.
Dr. Hatfill was investigated by the FBI in December of 2001, and they found no reason to suspect him.
In January of 2002, Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times joined with the conspiracy theorists and began accusing the FBI of not properly investigating "Mr. Z" who he later said was Dr. Hatfill.
The lead conspiracy theorist was doing interviews with newspapers all over the world about how the FBI was covering up for the person (who she did not name) who she believed was most likely behind the anthrax attacks. She also published "scientific papers" on the Federation of American Scientist's web site. And she gave lectures at universities about the FBI's "cover up."
People were writing to their congressmen about "the FBI coverup."
In June of 2002, that conspiracy theorist published a paper on the Federation of American Scientists' web site titled "What The FBI Knows." It accused the FBI of not properly investigating the person most likely behind the anthrax attacks.
Shortly afterward, some senate staffers invited that conspiracy theorist to tell them what she knew. Van Harp, who was head of the Amerithrax investigation, was also there.
The senate staffers evidently BELIEVED the conspiracy theorist, because they virtually ORDERED Van Harp to check out her theory and to report back to them.
A WEEK LATER, the FBI did its first search of Dr. Hatfill's apartment, and Dr. Hatfill suddenly became a public figure.
So, ANYONE who thinks that the FBI just started harassing Dr. Hatfill for no reason is totally WRONG and just doesn't know the facts -- or is ignoring them.