Judge admonishes government lawyers in anthrax lawsuit case

That is a very interesting find.

And, considering that at least one (was it two) doctors in Florida came forward after 9/11 and said they had treated some of the 9/11 hijackers with what they later recognized to be anthrax, it is a foregone conclusion in my mind that it was terrorism, and not homegrown.

Also, who was it who rented an apartment to one of the 9/11 hijackers in Florida who had a connection to the first guy who died of anthrax?

And how much does it matter? The "source" labs seems to be a canard that got much play from long ago. sure, you can trace back, but that doesn't mean the strains got to a 100 places in the meantime.

The "source lab" story might be traceable itself - to the inspiration of BHR trying to pin the source to Detrick because is conveniently fit her so-called "profile"

Hatfill would do better by hanging himself than by leaving the country. His *only* shot of beating the frame up is to stay here and fight.

The number of people, governments, and agencies that would benefit from a dead Hatfill in a foreign land would fill a phone book.

He's a right-wing, White-male Rhodesian, for crying out loud! He's got more enemies than can possibly be counted.

Being innocent is no defense in this game, kid. Stop and think about what nonsense you are spouting.

The AWB Has Expired - Gun Owners Have Won Again For All Americans!

It's all coming out now.......
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/08/readersopinions/08anthrax.html?ex=1097899200&en=d11b997659fd790c&ei=5006&partner=ALTAVISTA1

Anthrax Inquiry Draws Criticism From Federal Judge
By SCOTT SHANE

Published: October 8, 2004

ASHINGTON, Oct. 7 - A federal judge who reviewed a classified update on the F.B.I. investigation of anthrax-laced letters that killed five people in 2001 said on Thursday that he saw little chance of the case's being solved in the next six months.

"Candidly, from my review of the classified information, it doesn't seem to me that anything is going to happen in the near future that's going to change the status quo," said Judge Reggie B. Walton of United States District Court. The judge is handling a lawsuit filed against the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department by a former Army bioweapons expert, Dr. Steven J. Hatfill.

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Elizabeth J. Shapiro, a lawyer in the civil division of the Justice Department, did not dispute the judge's conclusion but emphasized the difficulty in finding the anthrax attacker.

"This is perhaps the most extraordinary investigation the F.B.I. has ever engaged in, and the most complex," Ms. Shapiro said.

The exchange took place at a hearing on the government's effort to postpone Dr. Hatfill's lawsuit, which claims that illegal leaks from F.B.I. and Justice officials destroyed his reputation and left him unemployable. He has been named as a "person of interest" in the anthrax case.

Raising his voice, Judge Walton said: "If you don't have enough information to indict this man, it's wrong to drag his name again and again through the mud. That's not a government I want to be part of."

Dr. Hatfill filed a defamation lawsuit in July against The New York Times and its columnist Nicholas D. Kristof for columns about him. A spokesman for The Times said when the suit was filed that it lacked merit and would be defended vigorously.

It's really all coming out now........

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16562-2004Oct7.html

Anthrax Probe Leaks Assailed

Judge Scolds FBI In Scientist's Case

By Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 8, 2004; Page B01

A federal judge scolded the Justice Department yesterday for failing to stop leaks describing former Army scientist Steven J. Hatfill as a "person of interest" in the investigation of the anthrax attacks.

U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton also expressed doubt that the FBI is close to identifying the person behind the mailings that killed five people and sickened 17 others in the fall of 20o1. At a court hearing in Washington yesterday, he said he made that assessment after reading a sealed affidavit submitted by the head of the FBI investigation.

Steven J. Hatfill's suit accuses the Justice Department of defaming him and violating his privacy.

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"It doesn't seem to me there's a significant likelihood of anything in the near future that's going to change the status quo," said Walton, who is presiding over a civil suit filed by Hatfill that accuses the Justice Department of defaming him and violating his privacy.

Raising his voice and shaking his finger, Walton told government lawyers that he was "extremely troubled" by recent newspaper articles that quote anonymous law enforcement sources as saying the FBI remains interested in Hatfill, 50, a physician and bioterrorism expert who once worked at the Army's infectious disease research lab at Fort Detrick in Frederick.

"They're undermining what this country is supposed to be about -- that is, that we treat people fairly," Walton said of the anonymous sources. "If you don't have enough to indict this man, then it's wrong to drag his name through the mud."

The judge's voice grew even louder as he added: "That's not a government I want to be a part of. It's wrong, and you all need to do something about it."

The Justice Department has repeatedly sought to delay the civil case, contending that the criminal probe is sensitive and complicated. For the first time yesterday, Walton ordered the government to respond to Hatfill's allegations within 30 days. Hatfill filed his suit in August 2003.

Attorney General John D. Ashcroft first identified Hatfill as a "person of interest" in 2002. Law enforcement sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, recently said that they still have interest in Hatfill along with a small group of other scientists. No charges have been filed in the probe.

Justice Department attorney Elizabeth Shapiro assured the judge that Justice officials have told FBI investigators to try to control leaks. "We agree with you, Judge," she said.

In a statement after the hearing, Justice Department spokesman Mark Corallo said the leaks are "absolutely disgraceful and need to stop." He said they can damage government credibility and individual reputations.

Hatfill did not attend yesterday's hearing and declined to comment through his attorney.

Earlier this year, Walton granted a postponement in the civil case, saying in March that confidential information from the Justice Department indicated that significant leads could be unearthed by summer. Authorities have been trying to conclude complex lab tests in hopes of tracing the anthrax to its point of origin. The tainted letters were mailed to media and government offices.

During the hearing yesterday, the Justice Department sought to postpone Hatfill's complaint for an additional six months and to prevent his attorneys from going forward with depositions of FBI agents or Justice officials. The government has repeatedly argued that depositions would distract the FBI from the most complicated criminal investigation it has ever conducted.

Walton instead ordered lawyers on both sides to work out a compromise for proceeding with depositions in the near future. If those discussions fail, he said, he will issue an order next month on how to proceed.

"Dr. Hatfill has a right in the foreseeable future to try to vindicate his name," Walton said. "The longer we wait, the more difficult it may be for him to make a case."

Thomas G. Connolly, one of Hatfill's attorneys, told the judge that his client had not been employed for more than a year, and "pretty soon he's going to be indigent."

Connolly complained that Justice and FBI officials continue to engage in a "whisper campaign" against his client. The news accounts that prompted Walton's anger were quotes from confidential sources close to the investigation, published in Washington Post articles in March and July, which Connolly read aloud in court.