Judge Unseals Documents in Anthrax Case

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

Judge unseals documents in 7-year anthrax probe

By LARA JAKES JORDAN and MATT APUZZO
From Associated Press
August 06, 2008 7:36 AM EST
WASHINGTON - The chief judge of Washington's federal courthouse on Wednesday unsealed hundreds of pages of documents in the FBI's nearly 7-year investigation of anthrax mailings that killed five people. The move by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth came after consultation with Amy Jeffress, a national security prosecutor at Justice, and as FBI Director Robert Mueller prepared to brief the families of anthrax victims on details of the case.

The documents that Lamberth authorized to be released include more than a dozen search warrants aimed at Army microbiologist Bruce Ivins, whom federal investigators were closing in on as he committed suicide last week. Among other things, the papers are expected to reveal how the FBI narrowed the scope of its investigation to the Fort Detrick, Md., scientist.

The evidence that Lamberth authorized to be made public should answer many questions in the bizarre investigation. Still, skeptics may never be satisfied if the documents fail to show conclusively that Ivins was solely responsible for mailing the anthrax letters that killed five and sickened 17. The judge indicated that it would take until at least midday or early afternoon Wednesday to clear the clerical hurdles to a full public release of the documents, which were to be posted on both the Justice Department's and federal courthouse's Web sites.

- snip -

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."

Read more: http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20080806/489921c0_3ca6_1552620080806798903231

[Bolo Boffin]

1. And so it begins.

Did they hound an innocent man or a guilty man to his death?

Why should his being innocent or guilty matter about that basic fact?

They better make it good.

[boomerbust]

2. Header should read

Judge to unseal "forged" documents in 7 year anthrax probe.

[screembloodymurder]

4. I used to think our media was just asleep.

Now I know they're in bed because it's an easy place to make a living.

[screembloodymurder]

3. A public trial w/o benefit of council.

Who will argue for Ivins? What was his motive?
Why did he target the photo editor at the National Enquirer?
How did he plant the Iraqi anthrax story at ABC?
Why did he target those who opposed the Patriot Act?
Who is Dr. Irwin and how do his military connections figure into this case?
What criminal charges show up (or were sealed) for Jean Wittman a.k.a. Jean C. Duley? His therapist turned accuser.

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

12. He didn't target Enquirer editor

Robert Stevens; Robert was just the poor sap that opened that particular piece of crazy mail.

I worked for that publisher as a managing editor on a magazine they had recently purchased (the mag was cancelled and I was canned just months before the events of September 2001). Every day, many bags of mail came in for the Enquirer, the Weekly World News, etc. Predictably, much of it was from seriously crazy individuals. As a result, the "fan" mail was often a hoot, and in our bullpen-style offices, particularly crazy letters and items got passed around.

My guess is that Ivins, being painted as a religious conservative, found that publisher's titles to be full of titillation and sin (they are).

I am still far from convinced, however, that Ivins did it.

[Hissyspit]

5. .

[autorank]

6. Documents Released in FBI's anthrax probe

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The chief judge of Washington's federal courthouse today unsealed hundreds of pages of documents in the FBI's nearly 7-year investigation of anthrax mailings in the U.S. that killed five people.

The move by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth came after consultation with Amy Jeffress, a national security prosecutor at Justice, and as FBI Director Robert Mueller prepared to brief the families of anthrax victims on details of the case.

The documents that Lamberth authorized to be released include at least 14 search warrants aimed at Army microbiologist Bruce Ivins, whom federal investigators were closing in on as he committed suicide last week. The records include the government summaries used to justify the search warrants, the warrants themselves and summaries of what FBI agents seized in each search.

Among other things, the papers are expected to reveal how the FBI narrowed the scope of its investigation to the scientist

Read more: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/documents_released_in_fbis_ant.html

---

See DU Research and Comment Threads summarizing news and interpretation on this case. Excellent source
of information and analysis catching the problems with the case so far.

Part I

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3728633

Part II

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3737555

[Muttocracy]

7. So AP is repeating some govmt claims, questioning others

[autorank]

8. AD (Associated Dittoheads)

Seems like it. They wrote an excellent article in the Susan Lindauer hearing in NCY of June 17.

It was pulled from AP and survived only on 2, just 2, sites that use AP.

Sorry record even when they get it right;)

[peacetalksforall]

11. Why do taxpaid U.S. government agencies torture people?

Because they can.

As proved here.

Whether guilty or not.

If the person is not-guilty - they can do it to scape-goat.
If the person is guilty - they can do it to make them take their life for the purpose of covering-up.

How unethical are we as a nation?

When are the citizens going to demand more ethics from their tax money?

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

9. ~ ~

:beer:


:kick:

[Supersedeas]

10. Mukasey seems to be running the show--did he also coordinate the 'leaks'?