Justice Department settles with anthrax "person of interest"

MSNBC ^ | Friday, June 27, 2008 5:40 PM PT | Pete Williams and Jim Popkin

[Libertarianize the GOP]

The Justice Department on Friday agreed to pay more than $5.8 million to Steven Hatfill, the former government scientist once branded by the Justice Department a person of interest in the deadly anthrax attacks of 2001. The legal settlement to Hatfill, in cash and an annual payments, signals the end of a civil lawsuit Hatfill brought against the Justice Department and FBI, accusing them of violating his privacy rights by improperly leaking sensitive information about the anthrax investigation to reporters.

"I think it's a gratifying end to a very sad chapter in [Hatfill's] life and that of the FBI and DOJ,” said Hatfill’s lawyer, Thomas Connolly, of the Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis law firm in Washington, D.C. “I'm hopeful that the settlement is punitive enough that they will learn their lesson" regarding the treatment of future suspects in high-profile criminal cases, he told NBC News.

[jpl]

I'm not sure why the first post got pulled, but anyway, this is still a great day!

If we lived in a fully just society though, lowlife left-wing gutter scum like Barbara Hatch Rosenberg and Nicholas Kristof would be in jail, and their property and assets would be seized and given to Hatfill as compensation to help ease the burden on the taxpayers.

Nevertheless: hopefully after Richard Jewell, Wen Ho Lee, and now Steven Hatfill, the scum in the government/media complex have finally learned the lesson once and for all.

[TrebleRebel]

I agree with you of course, it is a great day. But is it a double-edged sword? Does it now mean that the governments have spent $5.8M for a “get-out-of-jail-free” card on ever now producing court-ordered documents such as forensic lab reports? We all know these forensic lab reports on the powder hold the key to unambiguously tracing the spores - these lab reports are the most closely guarded secret in the investigation.
Yesterday we had at least a lawsuit where the powers of the courts could be used to get information - today that is gone. I’m glad Hatfill got his just deserves, but the country is worse off today - unless Congress chooses to wield it’s powers.

[jpl]

I do see what you're saying. I'm still eagerly waiting with bated breath for Senator Patrick "Leaky" Leahy, the man with the big liberal mouth, the unlimited subpoena power, and the standard liberal conspiracy theories to actually make some kind of real move.

But alas, I have this funny feeling that today's big news is the last real news we in the general public are ever going to hear on the so-called "Amerithrax" investigation.

It's kind of too bad that our old friend "The Great Satan" isn't around here anymore. It would be interesting to hear his reaction right now. I suspect he would probably opine that today was the official and final completion of the last stage of "Operation Hatfill Deception"!

[TrebleRebel]

No kiddin’ eh? Someone tried to murder Leahy, as he helpfully reminds Gonzales here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFwi0zF4a70&feature=related

He’s a United States senator, he has subpoena power, he could call hearings and have every forensic lab report cited to him, he could demand answers from dozens of US Army scientists who wrote all the lab reports.

I guess he’s just not THAT curious to know who tried to murder him ;)

[muawiyah]

He too suspects Leftwingtard involvement and is as anxious as Barbara Hatch Rosenberg to make sure NO government investigation "goes that way".

That's why he, Leahy, himself, must be subjected to intense scrutiny and appropriate interrogation by lawful organizations sooner or later.

[TrebleRebel]

I see people are posting the usual mistaken comments here that this was the FBI's fault. Just a brief look at the facts should make it clear to EVERYONE that this was the fault of conspiracy theorists led by Barbara Hatch Rosenberg and the media led by The New York Times.

As usual, you are wrong again. Since when did the FBI feel compelled to investigate conspiracy theory accusations made by individuals? Did the FBI investigate the placing of explosive charges in the twin towers? Did they investigate the accusation that a missile and not a plane hit the pentagon? Did they investigate the claimed faked moon landings? Did they investigate the accusations of the government covering up aliens?

It seems the present FBI are not forced by ANYONE to do what they do NOT want to do. They continue to point blank refuse congressional demands for briefings and oversight of the botched anthrax investigation.

Of course, you blindly ignore all of these facts and continue to express your opinions as fact.

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts", Daniel Patrick Moynihan

[ZACKandPOOK]

A Hatfill Theory was perfectly plausible and needed to be pursued. It was Mr. Seikaly’s leaks that were beyond the pale, not the theory that someone who would forge a PhD certificate in gaining access to BL-4 ebola labs needed to be closely scrutinized. But BHR’s role dates back to 6 years ago. Ed, got anything new? 6 years is a long time not to have a new idea and to be so wrong about silica.

[ZACKandPOOK]

Hehe. That’s right. Hey, TGS! Do you still think that government agents who searched Hatfill’s girlfriend’s apartment don’t really exist? I called one counterintelligence agent he said didn’t exist and Agent Pamela assured me she had just passed Jennifer in the hallway. (She assured me that they weren’t drinking the same water as TGS.)

[ZACKandPOOK]

Someone should see if they can find Leahy’s online remarks to Vermont students that some of his briefings have been “highly classified.” (It was after those briefings that he was really mad in his interview with the blogger).

“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