Hatfill Gives Press Conference

Fox news | 08-25-02 | Steve Hatfill

[at bay]

Just watched the Hatfill press conference. FBI continuing on its theory that this was something that originated from the US and that Atta must have had athlete's foot or something. Hatfill, if innocent, is rightly indignant at his treatment.

[Nogbad]

I'm really disappointed by how many people on this thread
seem to accept the lies of the FBI and the media.

I am quite amazed but shouldn't be
to see that the majority of those posting know nothing about this case
despite the fact that there have been about 50 threads about it
in the past two months.

One would like to think that conservatives are better informed than leftists
but unfortunately that seems not to be true.

However it is good to know that complete ignorance does not prevent most people
from expressing their fatuous opinions.

[Catspaw]

I suspect the Hatfill business is being orchestrated for a reason, and not by him.

I agree with you on this point. But who'd doing it and why?

BTW, there is a man in the Princeton area--he either works for the Borough or Township--that looks like Hatfill, or at least looks like the picture of Hatfill that was being shown in & around Princeton (Nassau Street & Palmer Square). There was an article about him right after the story broke about anthrax being found in the mailbox on Nassau street. I believe it was in the Trenton Times.

[CharacterCounts]

If I were innocent, I would shout it from the rooftops!"?

Criminals don't do press confernces... unless their first names are Bill and Hillary.

[HangThemHigh]

Maybe it's because my tinfoil hat is not fitting so well lately, but I tended to believe Hatfill also.

[floriduh voter]

Well, I guess our hometown podiatrist/bomber to be took precedent down here over Hatfill. Perspective is everything isn't it?

This is like American Idol in reverse. They have twenty persons of interest and if they are whittling that list down, the person of interest who is left, might be "it" but without a record contract.

Why did the FBI start investigating these labs in the first place? Did somebody call a hotline or something and give them a lead? This story has not been highlighted around here.

I still don't trust him, even though he's probably innocent. He's milkin' it a little bit IMO. If he hates publicity, why is he holding press conferences? It is curious that he is blaming Ashcroft when it would be easier to just file a complaint against the justice department without naming Ashcroft specifically. That's why I believe the dems are egging him on. FV

[okie01]

"Why did the FBI start investigating these labs in the first place? Did somebody call a hotline or something and give them a lead? This story has not been highlighted around here."

Starting last December, while at an international conference in Switzerland, Barbara Hatch Rosenberg launched the theory that the anthrax perp was a member of the "American biowarfare community". She went on to assert that she, and most of her colleagues, probably knew who the "rogue scientist" was.

Her story first appeared in the house organ of Germany's Green Party.

The media found her "revelations" absolutely fascinating and got on the story like a chicken on a june bug. Since then, she's been playing media darling, asked to comment on each and every "break" in the case. Which, whenever the trail turns cold, she furnishes a brand new "suspect".

Thanks to her "expertise", which has more to do with media management than bacteriology, she even got a confidential meeting with Senators Daschle and Leahy and their staffs.

Shortly thereafter, the FBI made a surprise raid on Hatfill's apartment...accompanied by a fleet of media helicopters and a convoy of remote vans.

If I was Hatfill, I'd be pissed off, too. At John Ashcroft, or anybody in a position of authority who was allowing this charade to continue.

Of course, there is some thought that Hatfill is in on the act and knows the script. He may be a CIA asset himself...and is to play out the role as a media diversion until such time as the administration is ready to announce where the anthrax really came from.

[floriduh voter]

So, you're saying it may be psyops or something because he dissed the New York Times too in addition to Ashcroft. I just felt like the press conference today was so bizarre - set aside guilt or innocence.

It was just so bizarre and who the heck told him the ninth commandment was about bearing false witness? I don't think the press conference was completely in his own words. Why would he embarass himself if he wasn't familiar with the commandments? Someone else told him to say that which exposes that he did not write his speech in its entirety. It seemed so scripted, and when he left the podium and embraced some guy to his right, it looked like he was acting. That's my opinion and that's not about Ashcroft or the Constitution or dems.

I think you may be right. If this is some weird diversion for the American people and for the world's consumption - they're good because I'm totally bewildered.

[Nogbad]

Why did the FBI start investigating these labs in the first place?
Did somebody call a hotline or something and give them a lead?
This story has not been highlighted around here.

This story has been highlighted around here on 100+ threads.

Why don't you go back and read them
instead of continuing to make a fool of yourself
by displaying your total lack of knowledge about this story?

[floriduh voter]

Around here means around where I live in the newspapers, on talk radio and on television. Around here didn't mean at Free Republic. In fact, I know how to use the search function and the abuse button here at Free Republic too.
Hurry on now and try to annoy someone else. With 100+ threads, you better get started. LOL

[Texasforever]

I saw his first press conference and I too found him credible. But him being framed by the administration does not make sense. The administration including the DOJ would dearly love to lay these anthrax attacks at the feet of Iraq. In fact it would not be very hard to manufacture the evidence if they were so inclined. So I don't buy this as a frame up of a "white guy".

The other thing concerns the leaks. If there have been leaks to the papers about him from the FBI then yes he is being treated unfairly and should sue. The other possibility is that he and his own legal team are leaking some of this also knowing full well that Richard Jewell is still fresh in the minds of many. None of us have any idea what is going on and all we are doing are making subjective value judgments based on individual perceptions of the FBI and government in general.

[floriduh voter]

First of all, you didn't flame me or anything but must have said something that caught my eye. I don't think I ever said that Hatfill was guilty but I thought he was "acting" and that the dems were part of this Ashcroft attack. Something's weird with this story.

It has not gotten big play in Tampa Bay so why would I go looking for it? Today, Hatfill was unavoidable. It was a bit much considering that yesterday locally, I endured a televised press conference by Al Arian from Lebanon on the local Time Warner channel.

I guess to get credibility and attention, we have to have press conferences and hire attorneys and parade our family and friends in front of the cameras too. We have become so melodramatic. Maybe that's what bugs me.

Oh, yeah, there can be real leaks and fake leaks. You are right about that.

[watchwoman]

There was no reason for the FBI to trash the girlfriend's apartment like that. Very unprofessional behavior, to say the least. Those agents responsible should be severely reprimanded, IMHO. It wouldn't surprise me if Ashcroft apologized for that, even if he ignores all the other allegations.

[Freeper 007]

I don't know what kind of games have been played with Hatfill's life but some people have a breaking point and obviously, this didn't roll off of Hatfill. Now he is obsessed with the entire matter to the point of getting counsel.


I can't believe all your comments if you didn't watch the press conference. I can hardly blame the guy for being "obsessed" with the matter. Today he detailed how this investigation has affected his life. Among other things he has lost two jobs, had his home searched several times, had his girlfriend's apartment ransacked, he is followed day and night by FBI agents and the press and every questionable decision he has made during his life is currently being exposed to the entire country. He is the subject of illegal leaks by the FBI and he has had the FBI tell two of his closest friends that they have direct proof that he killed 5 people.

Hatfill took a long time, but he had a long list of grievances to air. He highlighted some very valid and obvious flaws with the FBI's investigation tactics and with the media's coverage of him.

All in all, if this guy is innocent, then some people within the FBI deserve some jail time.

As for me, at the moment he strikes me as a contrived fall guy and not the real culprit.

HATFILL HANDED THEM AN ELECTION ISSUE

Ahhh...... there's nothing like blaming the victim.

[floriduh voter]

He may have unwittingly handed them an election issue. I guess I have a higher threshold than Hatfill for getting through a crisis. He's having a crisis, amen to that and he had a press conference. He didn't garner any sympathy from me but I haven't accused him of anything.

He lost me when he accused Ashcroft of breaking the ninth commandment. He should have at least checked the commandments before he accused Ashcroft of the wrong one.

I am saying it was a weird press conference and now we have to listen to this through the primaries and the November elections. Then it will be a dead issue after the elections are over. Everything is about politics, even this. I believe I blamed the dems.

[Freeper 007]

I guess I have a higher threshold than Hatfill for getting through a crisis

LOL!!!

Forgive me for thinking that Hatfill may being going through something that you and I can't fully understand. Unless of course, I missed the last time your life story was dissected in front of the nation, your friends had their homes and lives turned upside down and you were practially accused by the national media of being public enemy #1.

I wouldn't go around trying to compare your "threshold" to Hatfill's. His situation is very unique when you consider the publicity he has gotten. Hopefully he can use that position to ensure that the trampling of his civil rights is also unique.

[floriduh voter]

As a matter of fact, my place looked like his girlfriend's after I came back from the Friva conference. I saw the pictures. It didn't looked trashed to me although I'm sure it wasn't any fun putting stuff back where it belonged. My stuff was searched at the airport. I got over it.

Now if they smacked people around, that's more serious stuff but nobody's made allegations that they were physically harmed or threatened. Janet Reno did much worse to people in any event. I'm outta here. There aren't going to be any quick answers. Hatfill is one of twenty. The other nineteen are not on the radar screen. Have a nice week.

[floriduh voter]

Yeah, I'm not getting any media attention at the moment, but I could pull off a press conference without sounding like a whiner. The whining cuts right into his credibility. It's obvious he's not used to the press or dealing with the press.

We don't know the whole story and I'm going to sit this one out for now. I thought conservatives hated whiners. What is happening?

[Pushi]

I'll bet you are, too.

[Freeper 007]

It's obvious he's not used to the press or dealing with the press.

So what? As I remember, Clinton was a pretty slick charachter under pressure. This guy is a scientist, not a talking head. That is kind of the whole point of this entire thing.

He is this average joe who is living his life when suddenly all eyes are on him and people are trying to blame him for a horrible crime that the entire country is aware of. Can you blame the guy for not being telegenic and in perfect control? He never asked for this situation. (if you had listened to his press conference, you would know that he himself made that point)

I thought conservatives hated whiners. What is happening?

That's funny, where you saw a whiner, I saw a fighter. The guy has had his life taken away from him by the most powerful government on Earth. To top it all off, it's a government he liked. Sure the guy was nervous as hell, but he sucked it up and said his peace. Maybe you would prefer it if he would just shut up and take one for the (Republican)team.

This conservative likes to listen to what is actually said, and not dismiss it because it doesn't come with the elocution of Dan Rather.

[Pushi]

Ditto.