US on verge of closing anthrax probe after 8 years

[laststeamtrain]

US on verge of closing anthrax probe after 8 years

By DEVLIN BARRETT (AP)

WASHINGTON — A year after government scientist Bruce Ivins killed himself while under investigation for the lethal anthrax letters of 2001, the Justice Department is on the verge of closing the long, costly and vexing case.

Several law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that the department had tentatively planned last week to close the case, but backed away from that decision after government lawyers said they needed more time to review the evidence and determine what further information can be made public without compromising grand jury secrecy or privacy laws.

Officials told the AP the decision to close the case has been put off for what may be weeks, as the FBI and Justice Department continue to wrestle with an investigation that has led many to question the quality of their work and the certainty of their conclusions.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations about the case.

Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd declined to comment on the discussions but said the agency and the FBI continue working to conclude the investigation. "We anticipate closing the case in the near future," Boyd added.

The anthrax letters were sent to lawmakers and news organizations as the nation reeled in the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

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http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iVV4-3Z1an1LfZXDYeNY2vokK0QAD99M7TUO1

[TexasObserver]

1. A year after government scientist Bruce Ivins was ALLEGED to have killed himself

Never sounded like the truth.

[raccoon]

2. Now, what was that about finding OBL?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[valerief]

3. Move along. Congress getting anthrax letters? Nothing to see there. Look! A bright shiny object! nt

[Javaman]

5. Note that the only two senators that got the letters were against the patriot act.

funny how that works.

exactly like you said, move along, nothing to see here.

[valerief]

6. Yep. Funny how Wellstone died conveniently, too. And the anthrax scientist.

Funny how these things happen. Must be prayer, huh?

[redqueen]

7. ... but Wellstone signed the Patriot Act.

Not sure what else may have been going on... but he was on board with the Patriot Act at least.

[valerief]

9. Yeah, but he voted against the war resolution on 10/11/02

http://senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=2&vote=00237
http://senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_107_2.htm

He was expected to win re-election but was killed 11 days before the election.

http://www.oilempire.us/wellstone.html

Published in the May 27, 2002 issue of The Nation
Paul Wellstone, Fighter by John Nichols
www.commondreams.org/views02/0510-04.htm

Paul Wellstone is a hunted man. Minnesota's senior senator is not just another Democrat on White House political czar Karl Rove's target list, in an election year when the Senate balance of power could be decided by the voters of a single state. Rather, getting rid of Wellstone is a passion for Rove, Dick Cheney, George W. Bush and the special-interest lobbies that fund the most sophisticated political operation ever assembled by a presidential administration. "There are people in the White House who wake up in the morning thinking about how they will defeat Paul Wellstone," a senior Republican aide confides. "This one is political and personal for them." ....
"This race is going to be a case study of whether you can maintain liberal, progressive positions and win in this country in 2002," says Wellstone

[rfranklin]

4. did they check Cheney's safe for unlabeled vials?

I still want to know why the White House started taking Cipro weeks before these incidents (which only targeted Dems or "liberal" media as well as the National Inquirer.)

[valerief]

10. I still remember Brokejaw telling America, "In Cipro We Trust." nt

[vinylsolution]

8. Dead 'suspects' tell no tales....

Ivins was framed, and then eliminated.

The real anthrax terrorist is still out there, presumably readying his avian flu virus attack.