Anthrax Case Closing Challenged (Michael Collins, The Agonist)

[EFerrari]

Shortly after September 11, 2001, mailings containing the lethal toxin anthrax were sent to members of Congress, including then Senate majority leader Tom Daschle, the National Enquirer, and others. The first suspect, Steven Hatfill, was pilloried in the press as the prime FBI suspect. He was subsequently cleared and awarded a multi million dollar settlement by the government for harassment in late June 2008. The mystery remained.

Bruce Edwards Ivins, PhD, a leading bioweapons scientist, was the backup suspect. He worked at Fort Detrick, better known as the US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). He had been under heavy surveillance by the FBI for over a year prior to his death. Associated Press reported claims that he'd been "stalked" by FBI agents. There were other stories about his counseling for substance abuse problems and alleged erratic personality. These breaches of Ivin's confidentiality were followed by a less than flattering profile of his counselor, Jean Duley of Frederick, Maryland

Ivins was found dead in his home on July 27, 2008. The death was ruled a suicide. There was no autopsy. Shortly after Ivins' death, the FBI leaked that Ivins was the only suspect in the anthrax mailings case. Scientists at Fort Detrick objected to the bureau's tactics and conclusions. The FBI turned over it's scientific evidence to the National Academy of Sciences for a full review.

The FBI closed the case on February 19 naming Ivins as the lone perpetrator. The announcement came prior to the completion of a National Academy of Science report evaluating the FBI's scientific forensics in the case. Also, yet to be answered are the arguments by Edward Jay Epstein that the presence of silicon in the anthrax mailings virtually ruled out Ivins or Fort Detrick scientists since they lacked the ability to create that combination.

http://agonist.org/nass

[msedano]

1. where is efrem zimbalist jr when we need him?

dead, of course. his valiant FBI agent on television always was a crock of warmed-over caca. before that, Herb Philbrick and the commie menace. now the US sees the real FBI, the lame-asses on "Burn Notice" of USA television a fictive reality. the senior FBI guy destroying Watergate evidence--that was real. the FBI guy diddling his foreign agent target in San Marino CA--that was real and went on for 20 years. the sad litany can go on for hours.

Michael Collins does his standard superb work bringing truth to the fore in the case of the FBI's incompetence handling Anthrax investigations. They heap crap first on Hatfill, who lacked the courtesy to suicide, then Ivins, who did. One would think the entire FBI suffers prostate problems they're always leaking. Apologies to any honest FBI agents still drawing paychecks. There must be one.

Thank you, EFerrari, for the heads up on the Agonist article.

recommended.

mvs

[EFerrari]

2. Thanks, msedeno. As in so many areas

I've found that DU is a little ahead of the rest of the media, in fact, ahead of the rest of the tubes. It's a little harder to sort out now that DU is also learning how to talk about a party in power, but still here and going strong. :hi:

[autorank]

6. Efram Zimbalist's daughter maybe)

Edna, right?

Robert Hannsen! The man on the ladder. Now there's a memory.

I really don't know what the story is with the Anthrax attacks but Dr. Nass has some strong points.
The National Academy of Science report will be of real interest. The issues are far too public for a
whitewash.

I hadn't heard about the San Marino, CA deal. I'll check that out.

:hi:

On edit: Katrina Leung was living the American Dream. An immigrant from China, she scored an Ivy League education, a luxurious home, her own business, even powerful political connections. And she also possessed some secrets. A longtime informant for the FBI, Leung, 48, was arrested at her San Marino, California, home this month and charged with copying sensitive documents for China. Her classified information allegedly came from her FBI handler, who happened to be one of her two lovers at the bureau. It sounds like classic grist for a made-for-TV movie, but the question is, Why did it take the FBI so long to catch on to the plot?

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,445008,00.html#ixzz0ghRIo4JL

Damn!

[bleever]

3. The NAS findings should be most interesting.

K&R.

[EFerrari]

4. It's a little bizarre because a rock star consultant the FBI used already said

that the science alone could not solve this case.


Lead scientist on FBI Ivins case: "I never felt that science alone would solve this investigation."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=3976465

And what is sad to me, anyway, is that the same NYTs reporter who reported that story was in the pack last week who just forwarded the FBI's talking points. Well, this is an ugly market for reporters, I guess. :(

[autorank]

8. !

I'd hate to be the Executive Director of NAS. If they contradict the bureau, that's a huge challenge
given the power of the bureau. If the report pulls punches, that goes to the most important public
asset of NAS, integrity.

Are we in the singularity yet?

[bleever]

10. Steel cage match: Science vs. a politcal determination.

My money is on...

Oh, wait; I don't have enough money to matter.


But I'm still betting on science, just on principle.

[formercia]

5. The FBI took decades to finally admit they had a Soviet agent

even after they were warned in 1983 that there was possibly one on the Soviet Squad. Instead, they put the very Soviet Agent, Robert Hanssen in charge of the investigation.

[Octafish]

7. Accidently On Purpose

And what of the others, we don't know about? Going by the state of the nation, we see that our present situation is the result of selling the nation to the highest bidder.

Seriously. The NAZIs and the commies combined never hurt the USA like the BFEE. Millions jobless. The nation in hock to Red China. NAZIs domestic and foreign policy. Niiice.

Not that reducing the security of the United States is a big thing to them. They own the planet.

[formercia]

12. This is a good example of why the separation of Church and State needs enforcement

Hanssen was protected by Louis Freeh. Hanssen was one of a group of agents known as "Freeh's Boys", thus untouchable and beyond reproach.
Louis Freeh should be in prison as well.

Opus Dei in action. The FBI is rife with religious cliques.

[autorank]

14. BFEE is the deadliest threat we've ever faced +1000

...and they're winning.

[autorank]

9. Ironically

The FBI was willing to risk charges of a repetition of the Hannsen case with Ivins. Ivins had helped the bureau with the investigation, although he didn't head it. But getting this cleaned up before Bush-Cheney left power was an essential. The new crew had bigger fish to fry. Probably put the investigation in their back pocked in case they need a trump card at some point. I have a feeling, intuition, that unraveling this case would explain a great deal about the 9/11 attacks, which are complex to the nth degree. Interesting isn't it. Outrageous too. I don't know what to think of Edward Jay Epstein but I read his assertions that 1) silicon was a part of the anthrax bio attack after 9/11 (no disagreement by FBI) and 2) his point that Fort Detrick scientists couldn't build a combined anthrax-silicon weapons (thus ruling out Ivins, to a large degree). This is an issue where the NAS findings and analysis are critical.

[formercia]

13. The problem is that the type of Silica used is available almost anywhere

I've worked with it. It's called Cab-o-Sil. There are dozens of similar products out there. One thing I disliked about it is that, once the particles get airborne, it takes what seems like forever for them to settle.

http://www.chemindustry.com/chemicals/0519146.html

[winyanstaz]

11. We need some justice in this matter.....

And the FBI has proven it is incapable of doing the damned job.

[autorank]

15. It looked like a BushCo cleanup job

Get it done before Obama takes over. Assume they'll be too busy to countermand the finding.
Typical inside the beltway b.s.