Hatfill Sues U.S. Over Anthrax Probe

Associated Press Writer ^ | August 26, 2003, 2:26 PM EDT | SAM HANANEL

[freeperfromnj]

WASHINGTON -- The bioterrorism expert under scrutiny in the 2001 anthrax attacks filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing Attorney General John Ashcroft and other government officials of trampling his constitutional rights and using him as a scapegoat for their failure to make an arrest in the case.

Dr. Steven J. Hatfill claims that, by labeling him a "person of interest" in the case, Ashcroft and other federal authorities have destroyed his reputation and ruined his job prospects.

[Shermy]

Ooohh...see link at #20. It gets real good starting about paragraph 27 with Rosenberg, later Senate meeting, Harp, etc.


Sounds kind of familiar too...

[cdrw]

I'll be interested to see how this one goes. I have no idea how innocent or guilty Hatfill may be but it is apparent that the Feds don't have enough to press charges and they've ruined the guys life in the mean time.

We may never know why they did it. I've always had in the back of my mind that there could be some intelligence or national security issue having nothing to do with anthrax that they suspect him of and they've just never been able to get the goods on him - so they shut him down the only way they could short of murdering him. Being a US citizen that would be kinda touchy I suppose.

Of course he could be just some poor stooge who happened to fit the profile so they roasted him.

[Shermy]

Of course he could be just some poor stooge who happened to fit the profile so they roasted him.

The complaint, linked at #20, gives a scenario.

[wayoverontheright]

Ashcroft's reply to this lawsuit should be interesting reading. This suit may finally force him to go public with whatever information he had that put him on HF's trail in the first place. Information that we are not privy to or that has not leaked out, that is.

They must have something they're not telling us. The only thing I can think of is that arresting him now, and bringing this to a head could have repercussions to.......the Saudis?

[Shermy]

Forgot to ping you.

[arete]

About time! They've been doing a Richard Jewell on this guy for far too long. If any evidence existed, they'd have found it and charged him by now - NOBODY covers their tracks that well. They just don't have anyone else to look at, so they keep tormenting him.

Yeah, and I hope that he exposes Ashcoft as the nutcase that he is in the process.

Richard W.

[af_vet_rr]

Ashcroft's reply to this lawsuit should be interesting reading. This suit may finally force him to go public with whatever information he had that put him on HF's trail in the first place.

If he doesn't have any evidence to arrest and charge HF, well, this is the kind of govenment most of us on FR can do without. Intimidation, leaking information that led down false trails and implicating innocents, acting as if they don't have to answer to anybody, that's the clintons, and I pray it is not this administration.

[mrustow]

Hip, hip, hooray!

Thanks for the ping!

[Shermy]

Lots of interesting things in the complaint paper. One is the recitation of the Van Harp meeting with Rosenberg and the Senate staffers. New (to me) is an allegation that the investigation was threatened to be taken away from the FBI, and that was a motivation.

Maybe. I speculated in the past that the Rosenberg presentation was persuasive, even alarming to the Senate staffers. (Remember, they were attempted murder victims.) They may have been impressed with Rosenberg's proffered expertise, expecially in light of the fact that it was verified, in circular fashion, by the "quality" press following her lead. If you were a Senate staffer busy with other things, or even Daschle, I'd think you'd be impressed by the mysterious and foreboding Dr. Z article with the imprimitur of the status of the New York Times. And perhaps even the Rosenberg "Profile" of the anthrax killer was impressive to them, even though it was really a profile of what she thought was true about Hatfill.

I imagined a scenario where Daschle and others put the heat on the FBI and DOJ to show results, which accounts for the subsequent and very public prosecution of Hatfill.

Probably complex, maybe simple. Will be interesting to follow.

Hope when they deposition a Daschle staffer, the lawyers ask a question about ALL the contents of the Daschle letter.

[Shermy]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't she denied that?

She said she never said his name, which is incredulous, especially in light of her profile (draft?) that mentions Hatfill by name. Did you save that one?

[Shermy]

"Luke Albee"

Are you sure? Quick web search shows he works for Leahy, not Daschle.

[mrustow]

Four reporters wrote that she named Hatfill specifically.

[mrustow]

New (to me) is an allegation that the investigation was threatened to be taken away from the FBI, and that was a motivation.

Where did you see that?

[Calpernia]

bump for later.