A great piece in NRO, casting even more doubt on the FBI’s case against the virologist. Mowbray’s “Fisking” of Kristoff’s anti-Hatfill column makes me think that perhaps there is some media blame to be cast. Kritsoff obviously didn’t thoroughly check his sources, and the sources he probably did use (I say “probably” because he doesn’t name them in the column) — especially Barbara Hatch Rosenberg — are disreputable, to put it mildly.

Excerpt:

The three most damning “facts” that Kristof offers seem to wilt upon closer inspection. In his fifth and latest column, the Pulitzer Prize-winner states flatly that Hatfill had failed three consecutive polygraphs since January. Hatfill denies this, claiming that he has taken one polygraph and passed it. If that were a lie, odds are every major news outlet would already have copies of the failed polygraphs.

The other two “facts” served up by the columnist point to a direct Hatfill connection to anthrax. In a July 2 column, Kristof discusses the “isolated residence” where Hatfill “gave Cipro to people who visited it.” That’s a jaw dropper. It also seems to be a distortion of reality.

According to Pat Clawson, a friend of Hatfill’s for a number of years and who is acting as his spokesman, the “isolated residence” is actually a furnished three-bedroom modern house â?? with a hot tub and large TV â?? two hours outside of Washington, D.C. Clawson, who was an investigative reporter for years at both NBC and CNN, explained at the second Hatfill press conference what actually happened regarding the Cipro.

Last October, Clawson opened a letter intended for Oliver North (who works for the same company), and there was a white powdery substance inside. Understandably, Clawson was a little worried about possible exposure to a deadly toxin, given the intense media coverage that heated up a week later about the anthrax letters. When skeet-shooting at the “isolated residence” with Hatfill and about ten other guys that month, Clawson asked his biologist friend if he needed Cipro. (Hatfill advised that the tetracycline Clawson was already taking for jaw pain should suffice, and then the guys joked about sexual diseases and creative uses of Cipro.)

A third “fact” Kristof uses to tie a direct connection between Hatfill and anthrax â?? bloodhounds reacting to Hatfill and places he’s been â?? is dubious at best, according to the Baltimore Sun. Kristof writes in his August 13 column: “Specially trained bloodhounds… responded strongly to Dr. Hatfill, to his apartment, to his girlfriend’s apartment and even to his former girlfriend’s apartment, as well as to restaurants that he had recently entered.” Although he doesn’t cite a source, this is apparently a reference to a Newsweek story that has been called into doubt by, among others, the Sun.

The Sun reported: “Three veteran bloodhound handlers interviewed by the Sun were skeptical that a useful scent of the anthrax mailer would have remained on the letters months after they were mailed, rubbed against other letters and then decontaminated to kill the anthrax.” But more significantly, the Sun contacted the managers at all twelve Denny’s restaurants in Louisiana â?? the restaurant where the bloodhounds went nuts according to Newsweek â?? and all said they had not been visited by federal agents with bloodhounds. But again, since Kristof never mentions which restaurant he was citing, there is no way to prove â?? or disprove â?? his allegation.

It would be tough, if not impossible, for Hatfill to sue the FBI should his name ever be cleared in all of this. If he is eventually cleared, let’s hope the libel case against Kristoff grows, so this guy can at least get his day in court.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 26th, 2002 at 1:40 pm by Radley Balko and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.