Feds: Ivins Was Lone Anthrax Killer

Documents Allege Scientist Had Anthrax Linked To 2001 Attacks, Planned To Kill Those Who "Wronged Him"

(CBS/ AP)  Bruce Ivins, a brilliant yet deeply troubled Army scientist, was solely responsible for the anthrax attacks that killed five and rattled the nation in 2001, the government declared Wednesday, alleging he had custody of the lethal spores involved and access to the distinctive envelopes used to mail them.

Ivins, who committed suicide last week, submitted false anthrax samples to the FBI to throw investigators off his trail and was unable to provide "an adequate explanation for his late laboratory work hours" around the time of the attacks, according to documents that officials made public to support their case.

Investigators also said he sought to frame unnamed co-workers and had immunized himself against anthrax and yellow fever in early September 2001, several weeks before the first anthrax-laced envelope was received in the mail.

Ivins killed himself last week as investigators closed in, and U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Taylor said at a Justice Department news conference, "We regret that we will not have the opportunity to present evidence to the jury."

Ivins' attorney, Paul Kemp, has repeatedly asserted his late client's innocence, and Taylor conceded the evidence was largely if not wholly circumstantial.

The prosecutor's news conference capped a fast-paced series of events in which the government partially lifted its veil of secrecy in the investigation of the poisonings that followed closely after the airliner terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The newly released records depict Ivins as deeply troubled, increasingly so as he confronted the possibility of being charged.

"He said he was not going to face the death penalty, but instead had a plan to kill co-workers and other individuals who had wronged him," according to one affidavit. In e-mails to colleagues, Ivins described a feeling of dual personalities, the material said.

Ivins had sole custody of highly purified anthrax spores with "certain genetic mutations identical" to the poison used in the attacks, according to an affidavit among a stack of documents the government released, all seemingly pointing to his guilt. Investigators also said they had traced back to his lab the type of envelopes used to send the deadly powder through the mails.

The FBI's investigation had dragged on for years, tarnishing the reputation of the agency in the process. Investigators had long focused on Steven J. Hatfill, whose career as a bioscientist was ruined after then-Attorney General John Ashcroft named him a "person of interest" in 2002. The government recently paid $6 million to settle a lawsuit by Hatfill, who worked in the same lab as Ivins.

Taylor said Wednesday that investigators concluded in 2005 that Hatfill couldn't have had access to a crucial flask of anthrax spores.

The prosecutor called the flask the murder weapon in the worst case of bioterror in the nation's history.

Authorities say that language Ivins used in an e-mail days before a second round of anthrax attacks was similar to the messages in anthrax-laced letters received soon after by Democratic Sens. Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy.

CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports that just before the deadly letters were mailed, Ivins sent a chilling e-mail to a friend warning: "Bin Laden terrorists for sure have anthrax and sarin gas...." and have "just decreed death to all Jews and all Americans."

The e-mail was strikingly similar, investigators say, to the language of the letters themselves, which read: "We have this anthrax... Death to America... Death to Israel."

Wednesday's documents were released as FBI Director Robert Mueller met privately with families of the victims of the attacks to lay out the evidence officials said the agency was preparing to close the case.

"He would periodically return in the evenings, presumably to check on the status of various experiments. Beginning in mid-August 2001, however, there was a noticeable spike in Dr. Ivins's evening access to the B3 hot suite" of the laboratory, according to the affidavit obtained by CBS News.

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Read the affidavit.

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As for motive, investigators seemed to offer two possible reasons for the attacks: that the brilliant scientist wanted to bolster support for a vaccine he helped create and that the anti-abortion Catholic targeted two pro-choice Catholic lawmakers.

"We are confident that Dr. Ivins was the only person responsible for these attacks," Taylor told a news conference at the Justice Department.

Noting that Ivins would have been entitled to a presumption of innocence, Taylor nevertheless said prosecutors were confident "we could prove his guilt to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt."

The events in Washington unfolded as a memorial service was held for Ivins at Fort Detrick, the secret government installation in Frederick, Md., where he worked. Reporters were barred.

More than 200 pages of documents were made public by the FBI, virtually all of them describing the government's attempts to link Ivins to the crimes.

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Read the court documents in the anthrax case.

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"It is a very compelling case," said Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who attended a briefing for lawmakers and staff.

It says that in his lab, Ivins had custody of a flask of anthrax termed "the genetic parent" to the powder involved - a source that investigators say was used to grow spores for the attacks on "at least two separate occasions."

Anthrax culled from the letters was quickly discovered to be the so-called Ames strain of bacteria, but with genetic mutations that made it distinct. Scientists developed more sophisticated tests for four of those mutations, and concluded that all the samples that matched came from a single batch, code-named RMR-1029, stored at Fort Detrick.

Ivins "has been the sole custodian of RMR-1029 since it was first grown in 1997," said one affidavit.

Powder from anthrax-laden letters sent to the New York Post and Tom Brokaw of NBC contained a bacterial contaminant not found in the anthrax-containing envelopes mailed to Sens. Patrick Leahy or Tom Daschle, the affidavit said.

Investigators say Ivins strongly disagreed with Senators Daschle and Leahy's support for abortion rights, CBS' Orr reports.

Investigators concluded that "the contaminant must have been introduced during the production of the Post and Brokaw spores," the affidavit said.

The documents disclosed that authorities searched Ivins' home on Nov. 2, 2007, taking 22 swabs of vacuum filters and radiators and seizing dozens of items. Among them were video cassettes, family photos, information about guns and a copy of "The Plague" by Albert Camus.

Investigators also reported seizing three cardboard boxes labeled "Paul Kemp ... attorney client privilege."

Ivins' cars and his safe deposit box also were searched as investigators closed in on the respected government scientist who had been troubled by mental health problems for years.

According to an affidavit filed by Charles B. Wickersham, a postal inspector, the scientist told an unnamed co-worker "that he had `incredible paranoid, delusional thoughts at times' and 'feared that he might not be able to control his behavior."'

A mental health worker who was involved in treating Ivins disclosed last week that she was so concerned about his behavior that she recently sought a court order to keep him away from her.

Allegations that Ivins sought to mislead investigators ran through the material made public.

One FBI document said Ivins "repeatedly named other researchers as possible mailers and claimed that the anthrax used in the attacks resembled that of another researcher" at the same facility.

The name of the other researcher was not disclosed.

The documents painted a picture of Ivins seeking to mislead investigators beginning in 2002, when he allegedly submitted the wrong samples to FBI investigators.

It wasn't until more than two years later, in March 2005, that he was confronted with the alleged switch, according to U.S. Postal Inspector Thomas Dellafera, who added that Ivins insisted he had not sought to deceive.

The victims of the attacks had little in common.

Robert Stevens, 63, a photo editor at the Sun, a supermarket tabloid published in Boca Raton, Fla., was the first to die. Thomas Morris Jr. 55, and Joseph Curseen, 47, worked at a Washington-area postal facility that was a hub for sorting the capital's mail. Kathy Nguyen, 61, who had emigrated from Vietnam and lived in the Bronx, worked in a stock room at Manhattan Eye Ear & Throat Hospital. Ottilie Lundgren, 94, who lived in Oxford, Conn., was the last to die.

[eggy1620]

This smells as bad as Vince Foster.

[neoconrcrazy]

usually there is a MOTIVE behind such an action.

Ivin''s motive ?

[SamThornton]

It''s a sign of our times that, while explanations offered by the FBI and Justice Department in this case may be absolutely true and above board, the record of the current Administration and its Justice Department immediately bring into serious question the truth of any statement they might make on any subject. The current Attorney General bears a significant part of the responsibility for public distrust of this once proud institution.

[joker1944-2009]

The government''s case is being tried in the court of public opinion. It includes:

1. The idea that Ivins was ''homicidal'' and a ''revenge killer.'' The one source is a just out of school social worker with a long history of alcohol abuse and legal problems. This characterization is strongly denied by Ivins friends and co-workers - some of which had known him for decades.

2. The idea that Ivins was obsessed with a sorority. Although they have yet to produce any proof of this (and of course the ''librul'' media has repeated this claim over and over.)

In other words, the FBI have done a post-mortem mega-smear on someone unable to defend himself, using the media to catapult the propaganda. Nice.

[jmurrieta1]

Another empty, meaningless press release. Too bad our "free press" can''t be bothered to ask embarrassing questions to those in power.

For example, what is it:
"An advanced DNA analysis that matched the anthrax used in the attacks to a specific batch controlled by Ivins. It is unclear, however, how the FBI eliminated as suspects others in the lab who had access to it."


And why wasn''t it available in 2003, when the weaponized anthrax genome was fully sequenced at NIH?

It''s almost like the corrupt Bush administration instructed the FBI to take their time and not push to hard to find the perp.

And why would that be?

Can we have a real reporter look into this?

[liberalme]

FBI-CIA not agencies that have been above reproach over the years--

Our future new administration will have a lot of investigating to do once the current criminals are out of office---that is if they haven''t "lost/erased/shreaded" the needed ammunition.

[joker1944-2009]

They''re ''closing'' the case, because more than likely there will be a Dem in the White House next year with larger majorities in the House and Senate, and they need to cover up any loose ends that could possibly incriminate anyone in the (soon to be) former administration. Nothing else makes sense. Ivins was just a patsy.

It would be nice if someone - anyone - in the MSM would take this up and expose this case as the flimsy piece of garbage it is.

How about we start with a report on this so-called ''therapist''? Dudley is her name. The one who scribbled accusations on a piece of paper and mispelled the word ''therapist'' in the process? The one with massive legal problems due to her obvious alcohol addiction.

[kenhamlett]

--getoffmine--

I looked in on this and the Washington Post confirms your assessment of Dudley. It is really no surprise. I have found that regardless of the title or position of mental "health" professionals and no matter where they practice, they have been persons of very low character with meaningless opinions. The difference is that Dudley attached herself to a high profile investigation.
In fact I can not really blame the FBI agents for a lot of the poor data. Psychiatrist often find a corrupt or foolish judge to help falsify information or to issue orders to purge records. The investigation can never be accurate when psychiatrists are involved. Their primary goal is to manipulate information and the FBI simply follows along and apparently has a policy to ignore information that has been manipulated.
It is unlikely the FBI will find anything of value if they persist in only looking at the information that has be restructured. I say blame DOJ policy for the practice of allowing manipulated data to override the truth. We can also blame Judges for going along with the foolish practice of recognizing them and assisting in this corrupt practice.

[aeasus]

Still no solid evidence. Just finger pointing.

[messiahx4eve]

No One is Above the Law......EXCEPT: Begin list here.
IF all these people involved truly believe in some sort of christian god, that god is gonna have a field day with the souls of the present administration, that should just about fill up the nether regions of H3LL quite well.

[andor3]

what does it mean if the case is "closed"? Can they start destroying evidence, shredding documents, and moving items to archives where they can be conveniently "lost"? I imagine the rules for tracking evidence in an open case are much more strict.

If you need to hide some evidence, a trial is a bad thing. It would be very convenient if your only suspect committed suicide so the case could be officially closed and the evidence released.

[allurfears]

Is it OK to have government agents corner your family in public and call you a "killer" to your wife''s face (just to harass you)? Is it OK for the government to send agents to your daughter''s hospital bed, show her pictures of dead people, and insist that you are a killer? Is government harassment of people who are PRESUMED INNOCENT simply OK with the American people?

Remember, this is the same Bush regime that wrongly harassed and destroyed the lives of many innocent people, including Hatfill and Jewel.

Does the regime of Bush know no shame? These are the tactics of a tyranny, not a democracy. These are the practices of dictatorships we claim to hate.

Bush and his "unitary executive" fascists are turning this country into a police state. Are Americans really just sheep?

[downtowner97]

I remember when I was a kid growing up and we used to hear stories of the KGB in the Soviet Union acting this way. Is that the level we''ve sunk to? The government picks the killer, the people roll their eyes and say "I''m glad it wasn''t my turn".

[downtowner97]

Hundreds of pages of investigative paperwork. How about a verifiable suicide note containing a confession? I suppose they don''t have one of those. The guy was able to get a hold of a huge bottle of Tylenol #3 while in a mental ward on suicide watch while NOT being treated for pain, but couldn''t find a pen and a piece of paper to write a note.

[jabailey6]

I find it interesting that the Federal Government is ready to end the investigation now that their anthrax "suspect" is dead. How about a senario like this: The Bush administration ordered the anthrax released to further their push to go to war with Iraq! They decide on a person who has access to anthrax and who also has personal issues to make a better case, and maybe they were hoping by their stalking and harrassing this man and because of his personal issues he just may commit sucide, so he can''t defend himself in a court of law. With the things that this administration has done, it makes people think that this senario could be possible. God help America.

[neoconrcrazy]

when the "killer" has no apparent motive

when he is no longer able to defend himself

when suspicious people give "testimony"

when unsubstanciated "characteristics" are publically attributed to the deceased "suspect"

when 7 years of investigation did not yield charges

when the whole scenario is headed for "we''ll probably never know"

then you can be sure your friendly god-fearing fascists in the WH are behind it!

[downtowner97]

The lethal dose (LD50) of codeine for an adult is 800 mg. There''s 30 mg of codeine in a Tylenol 3. That means if a group of 100 adults each took 27 Tylenol 3 pills, half of them would survive.

The average prescription of Tylenol 3 is 12 pills.

Have you ever tried swallowing a handful of pills? Tylenol 3 pills are large and you''d be talking 3 handsful.

You can get codeine in some states in over-the-counter medications. Generally, the pills have at least 3 medications in them, and there''s no more than 8 mg of codeine in them. That means you''d have to swallow 100 pills in order to have a 50/50 chance of dying.

That''s a lot of swallowing. I''m finding this story hard to swallow. He was supervised. Death from Codeine would take many hours. Didn''t anyone notice he was acting a little groggy? If someone takes an overdose of codeine, a simple injection of Narcan would block the effects of the codeine and save the patient''s life.

[neoconrcrazy]

"Ivins'' purported motive of sending the anthrax in a twisted effort to test a cure for it, according to authorities."


sounds convincing - Ivins sought fame & money, was devoured by ambition, and wanted to spend life behind bars - or worse.

sorry, i don''t buy it.

[neoconrcrazy]

"Investigators will show he had disturbing attitudes toward women. Other haunting details about Ivins'' mental health have emerged, and his therapist described him as having a history of homicidal and sociopathic thoughts."


sounds like alot of normal people i know.

[observer2020]

neoconRcrazy: Sounds like our fellow poster GOP_forever.

[neoconrcrazy]

observer - yes!

[bobnjersey]

[The Justice Department "has a legal and moral obligation to make official statements first to the victims and their families, then the public," Attorney General Michael Mukasey said Tuesday. "And that''s the order in which we''re going to do it." ]

since when does the justice dept care about fulfilling their legal and moral obligations?

close the case ... makes total sense ... motive is questionable ... opportunity is questionable ... but this is exactly what you''d be doing if you arrested him, charged him, and prosecuted him, correct?

[bobnjersey]

[Investigators can''t place Ivins in Princeton but say the evidence will show he had disturbing attitudes toward women. ]

i didn''t know that patrick leahy and tom daschle were woman. what kind of logic is this? we can''t place him in princeton, but he didn''t like women ... so that''s just as good?

isn''t this the same fbi that knew about muslims in flight schools but didn''t put it together? the same fbi that spent $150 million on a computer based case system after 9/11 ... only to find out that it didn''t meet their needs ... and had to start all over?

[downtowner97]

Where did he get the Tylenol #3? How did he swallow 27+ huge pills? How did he die slowly over many hours of the codeine poisoning without anyone in the hospital noticing? Why didn''t he write a note? How did he make very sophisticated weaponized Anthrax in a lab designed for growing anthrax colonies? Why did he pick Senate Democrats as victims? Why did he time his attack for less than a week after 9/11? Why did he stop mailing the letters? What do his attitudes toward women have to do with anything? Why is the media reporting his suicide as such without citing a coroner''s ruling that it was a suicide? Why didn''t the FBI arrest him if they were so sure he did it?

[notblue]

It''s always great enterainment ot read the HATE INDUCED FANTASIES of the leftwingers that frequent this site, What a bunch of conspiracy driven morons, if they were to accept reality their posts would be nothing more than foolish nonsense!

[pensacola88]

How many citizens like hearing lies?

We know that aircraft were hijacked and were used to bring down the NYC Twin towers.

Then, we were told Al Queida had ties to Iraqi dictator Hussien - which was a lie.

Then, we were told that Al Queida had sent anthrax in letters to our citizens - which was a lie.

Then, we were told that Al Queida was brokering weapons of mass destruction and corroberating with Saddam Hussien - which was a lie.

The sad thing is someday, someone will tell an equally sensational story that is true, and no one will believe it.

[thinkharder-]

It''''s always great enterainment ot read the HATE INDUCED FANTASIES of the leftwingers that frequent this site, What a bunch of conspiracy driven morons, if they were to accept reality their posts would be nothing more than foolish nonsense!

Posted by notblue at 02:39 PM : Aug 06, 2008

Alright NOTBLUE...if you''re so in touch, you tell me how exactly this is such an open and shut case. Set aside your absolute, without contingencies, allegiance to our government and critically examine the facts at hand. You don''t have to be a liberal or a leftist conspiracy theorist to see that something''s not right here. I refuse to draw conclusions, and that may be the best way about it for now...because the "conclusions" being drawn by the FBI just leave to much to question. But...then again, you''ve probably always had a difficult time questioning authority, no? Just how they like us...

[marshall_nee]

It''''''''s always great enterainment ot read the HATE INDUCED FANTASIES of the leftwingers that frequent this site, What a bunch of conspiracy driven morons, if they were to accept reality their posts would be nothing more than foolish nonsense!

Posted by notblue at 02:39 PM : Aug 06, 2008

Actually the majority of conspiracy theorists tend to be rightwing. Like me.

[mycomment-2009]

when the "killer" has no apparent motive
when he is no longer able to defend himself
when suspicious people give "testimony"
when unsubstanciated "characteristics" are publically attributed to the deceased "suspect"
when 7 years of investigation did not yield charges
when the whole scenario is headed for "we''''ll probably never know"
then you can be sure your friendly god-fearing fascists in the WH are behind it!
Posted by neoconRcrazy at 12:53 PM : Aug 06, 2008

Careful now with that kind of talk....Area 51 may have a formaldehyde cylinder with you name on it! OOOOh...scary. :)

[notblue]

thinkharder, your name fits, HE WAS BIN LADENS DRIVER!
Hello! Enough said?????

[xmanborg]

I dont believe anything the Bushie Administration says any more. Lies, Lies and more Lies.

[ubrew12]

"Suspect Warned Al Qaeda Had Anthrax"

Doesn''t he know lying about WMD is the governments job? No wonder they were after him.

[guadalcanal3]

I do not think that we Americans should condemn either the ''right'' or the ''left''...America is all about balance and checks and balances. We need to hear ''both'' sides in order to come up with a solution that will (hopefully) keep both sides happy...I myself tend to stay a little ''right'' of middle..but I welcome both sides...I will say this much though...I feel that a lot of liberals tend to get waaaaay tooo liberal...for instance I feel that liberal laws tend to protect the heineous criminals while the innocent victims ''get the shaft''....It was the world''s liberals who tried to get that Mexican guy off death row regardless off the horrilbe crime that he was guilty of...he deserved far worse than the lethal injection that he got.

[mycomment-2009]

just as I thought, so far no solid evidence, just hear say and speculation.
Call you representitives, tell them to keep the case open.
If Obama wins maybe we''''ll actually find out the truth if he will allow an all out investigation
Posted by getoffmine at 03:10 PM : Aug 06, 2008

No solid evidence? What exactly is your definition of solid evidence? The FBI could fill up a room full of evidence and people like you would say that it was ''manufactured''. Sorry, but contrary to all your fantasies, it''s not possible to build a time machine and go back and actually watch the crime...Geez

[bobnjersey]

[Postal inspectors say the language in e-mails by scientist Bruce Ivins was similar to the words used in the anthrax letters that terrorized the nation in 2001. ]

were the letters printed? laser copiers/printers embed signatures that are hidden on the paper that can be used to trace back to the source. if they were handwritten they should be able to use comparative analysis of the handwriting.

i haven''t seen any reference to this being part of the evidence. if not, it could be another hole in the case.

[bobnjersey]

[No solid evidence? What exactly is your definition of solid evidence? The FBI could fill up a room full of evidence and people like you would say that it was ''''manufactured''''.]
[Posted by Mycomment at 03:16 PM : Aug 06, 2008]

after they fill the room do the events making up this crime only tie to this man? do they have anything that absolutely and undeniably connect him to the crime? are all the questions concerning the commission of the crime answered?

didn''t they accuse another researcher at this facility of this crime a few years ago? was/is he guilty?

do you understand what ''solid evidence'' means now?

[mycomment-2009]

OK what have you heard that is solid evidence?
Posted by getoffmine at 03:21 PM : Aug 06, 2008

Did you even bother to read the above article? Many, many, many cases are built through circumstantial evidence. Unfortunately, most crimes are not witnessed. A case is built against the person and a jury decides the case. Because the man killed himself before due process we can never know what a jury would decide. A jury is instucted to base their decision on reasonable doubt. Seriously, do you think it is reasonable that this guy sent an e-mail written the same language as the anthrax threat, had himself innoculated against anthrax a week before, worked a the lab out of his ordinary hours DURING the time of the anthrax murders....well, I could go on and on but you say you read the article. Well, ANY reasonable person would find this person suspect. By the way, if I ever commit murder I want you on my jury trial!

[mycomment-2009]

didn''t they accuse another researcher at this facility of this crime a few years ago? was/is he guilty?
do you understand what ''solid evidence'' means now?
Posted by bobnjersey at 03:25 PM : Aug 06, 2008

Thank you...you argue against your own case with this example. If the FBI is so corrupt and evil that it manufactures evidence against people...why did they admit they were wrong about this guy? Why not just kill him off according to your conspiracy theories? One patsy is as good as another right? It must be sad to be so suspious about everyone in government that you have no respect for the people who take their job seriously and work dilligently only to be maligned by people like you. Government coverup my azz....is there ANYTHING that isn''t a conspiracy to you folks?

[mtracy9]

A LIKELY SCENARIO: The anthrax attacks were carried out by a neocon Black Op team in concert with the team that took down the WTC. The attacks were aimed at two Democratic Senators: Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy who were holding up the "Patriot Act" out of constitutional concerns. Just as bioweapons researcher Bruce Ivins was about to be charged with perpetrating the attacks, he commits suicide. His convenient death prevents any future investigation into the masterminds of the attacks.

[joker1944-2009]

....is there ANYTHING that isn''''t a conspiracy to you folks?

Posted by Mycomment at 03:39 PM : Aug 06, 2008

So, they''ve already gotten to you, huh? ;)

[joker1944-2009]

So....where is the evidence that he was ''obsessed'' with that sorrority? The ''librul'' media took that story and ran with it, based only on ''anonymous officials'' of course.

And why has no one checked into the credibility of the social worker who called him ''homocidal'' and a ''revenge killer?'' The one who has had massive legal problems and several run-in with law enforcement. Again, the media simply parroted the claims without checking into her backround.

Maybe Ivins did it, but the evidence against him seems pretty weak. Clearly the FBI tried this case in the court of public opinion, leaking unsavory (and possibly untrue) details about Ivins that would certainly make him look the part. That doesn''t mean he was, however. And I think you could argue that if this case was as open and shut as that, the FBI wouldn''t have had to resorto to such underhanded tactics.

[shippg]

Does anyone in todays workplace know their coworkers enough? Almost everyone has a breaking point, and a lot of people could be considered "deeply troubled." When is the last time you were allowed to be real (bare your soul) about something? You have NOT been able to, because you would be fired. Typical jobs are soul-sucking, so no one should be surprised when someone "normal" goes postal.

[skyk-2009]

That does it for me. No need to look any further.

Posted by GOP_forever at 03:21 PM : Aug 06, 2008

Yes but didn''t YOU say, the first time someone raised the issue of Bush Lying to us about Iraq, that there was no need to look any more, he was being truthful?? I''m sorry but you folks have NO creditability at this point. None what so ever.

[bobnjersey]

[Thank you...you argue against your own case with this example. If the FBI is so corrupt and evil that it manufactures evidence against people...why did they admit they were wrong about this guy? Why not just kill him off according to your conspiracy theories? One patsy is as good as another right? ]
[Posted by Mycomment at 03:39 PM : Aug 06, 2008]

your welcome ... for what i''m not sure. it''s looking likely that you''d take anything and say it supports your argument. you''re an authoritarian follower ... and would believe whatever those you considered authoritarians said (the govt and therefore it''s agencies serve as your authoritarians)

the fact that the fbi has scr3wed up royally in the last few years blows huge holes in your tacit acceptance of anything they put out. they never admitted they were wrong about stephen hatfill ... they just paid him $5 million for their sc3w up. and yes ... rubbing him out after they incorrectly accuse him would be really smart ... an area you apparently seem to be lacking in.

[It must be sad to be so suspious about everyone in government that you have no respect for the people who take their job seriously and work dilligently only to be maligned by people like you. Government coverup my azz....is there ANYTHING that isn''''t a conspiracy to you folks?]

do you believe everything the government tells you? do you read history? if you do read history, why do you ignore history and believe all that your government says?

[joker1944-2009]

Typical jobs are soul-sucking, so no one should be surprised when someone "normal" goes postal.

Posted by carats100 at 04:01 PM : Aug 06, 2008

Yikes - glad I don''t work with you ;)

Seriously, we all deal with work stress. But that doesn''t mean an otherwise normal guy would create a national panic by sending weaponized anthrax through the mail. He must have known he would be throwing away his life and career. I don''t see how the risks could possibly outweigh whatever benefits he might have gotten.

The whole thing just doesn''t line up is the problem. I''m not expecting a ''Murder She Wrote'' like conclusion in the case, but there are just too many questions here. And the FBI has proven itself to be untrustworthy and pretty d.amn incompetent.

[jmurrieta1]

"Army scientist Bruce Ivins had custody of highly purified anthrax spores with "certain genetic mutations identical" to the poison that killed five people and rattled the nation in 2001"


So what is the "new genetic technique"?

Weaponized anthrax had its genome sequenced by May 2003 when it was published in the journal Nature (and the information was doubtless privately available well before that date). To determine the "genetic mutations" of the terror material (of which many grams were available) all that was needed was routine sequencing of that DNA. Nothing new about that.

So we''re being lied to again. The FBI needs to explain why techniques that were readily available in 2001-2003 were not actually used until 2008.

It''s almost like the White House told them to sit on it.

Could it be that Dik Cheney''s office somehow sponsored or prompted this unstable scientist into an act that served his political agenda very well, even protecting Ivins from loss of security clearance because he was so "useful" to the Bush-Cheney regime?

Will we ever know the truth?

Not with John McCain as president, that''s for sure.

[blackyowe]

It;s clear both the FBI and this guy are sick!

[joker1944-2009]

2001 October 18: Senator John McCain states, on the David Letterman Show, that ''There is some indication, and I don''t have the conclusions, but some of this anthrax may -- and I emphasize may -- have come from Iraq.''

Posted by anon00 at 04:25 PM : Aug 06, 2008

Yes, I''ve mentioned that a few times as well. I guess the media doesn''t want to revisit the post 9/11 days where they got totally snowed by the Bush administration and the GOP into being nothing more than a propaganda machine taking the nation into a pointless war with Iraq.

It sure would be nice to ask the senator why he said this. Either he was shamlessly exploiting the attacks to gain support for a war with Iraq or he was lied to by someone in the intelligence community. Or someone in the White House.

Of course, the feckless ''librul'' media would never dare ask such a question.

[iphyt4u]

This man was highly intelligent. Having anthrax that could be linked back to him, is like leaving fingerprints on the gun. He was way too smart for this. This is just some more Bush administration spin. And oh, by the way, is the stock market really going up because business is improving, or are they doctoring the numbers because many companies fiscal year ends on August 31st? Don''t believe the hype!

[txgrouch2006]

Investigators also reported tracing the type of envelopes used to send deadly spores through the mails to the lab where Ivins worked.
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So it was SOMEONE IN THE ANTHRAX LAB. That narrows it down to what, a few hundred people.

Ivins COULD NOT have acted alone. There''s no way he could have made powder form anthrax without somone noticing the equipment. UNLESS...

Unless he was working in a secret room where nobody would see him making it. IF he''s the one who made it.

30 individuals had access to the anthrax. They all worked for managers. MANAGERS are the ones seeking more funding, not the workers.

Ivins was a patsy. When he snuffed himself, some lab manager enjoyed his scotch a little more than usual that evening.