Steven Hatfill

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Dr. Steven Jay Hatfill (b. October 24, 1953) (photo [1]) is an African-trained American physician, virologist and bio-weapons expert. The US Department of Justice identified the former government scientist as a "person of interest" in its investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks but has not sought charges. FBI raids on his home were well attended by journalists and consequently, several news outlets have speculated that Hatfill was the likely suspect for the attacks.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Youth and education 1.2 The anthrax attacks 1.3 Hatfill v. John Ashcroft et al 1.4 Hatfill v. The New York Times 1.5 Hatfill v. Foster 2 References 3 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Youth and education

Hatfill was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated from Mattoon Senior High School, Mattoon, Illinois (1971) and Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas (1975) where he studied biology. During college he took a year off and worked with a Methodist medical missionary in Kapanga, Zaire. (His mentor was Dr. Glenn Eschtruth, whose daughter Caroline he later married and divorced.)

Hatfill then settled in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) where his claimed military associations included work with the United States Army's Institute for Military Assistance, the all-white Rhodesian SAS, and the Selous Scouts. He stayed on to study medicine (1978-84) at the Godfrey Huggins Medical School [2] in Salisbury (now Harare), graduating (after flunking in 1983) in 1984[3]. In 1984, he took a board certification in hematological pathology from South Africa. The South African government recruited him to be medical officer on a one-year tour of duty in Antarctica. He claimed a Ph.D. in molecular cellular biology from Rhodes University in South Africa, as well as completion of a post-doctoral fellowship at Oxford University in England and three master's degrees (in microbial genetics, medical biochemistry, and experimental pathology). Some of these credentials have been questioned[4]. On March 11 2007, Hatfill's lawyer Tom Connolly[5](in his lawsuit against the former Attorney General of the United States (John Ashcroft) and the FBI) admitted that his client had "Puffed on his resume. Absolutely. Forged a diploma. Yes, that's true."[6]

[edit] The anthrax attacks

Dr Hatfill's post-doctoral appointments included one at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. He subsequently worked as a civilian researcher at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), the US Department of Defense's medical research institute for biological warfare (BW) defense at Fort Detrick, MD. There he studied new drug treatments for the Ebola virus and became a specialist in BW defense.

After leaving USAMRIID, he worked for Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), also on Ft Detrick, and later at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, LA. In September 2001 SAIC was commissioned by the Pentagon to create a replica of a mobile WMD "laboratory", alleged to have been used by Saddam. The Pentagon claimed the trailer was to be used as a training aide for teams seeking weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (even though Afghanistan had not yet been invaded). The primary designer/advisor of the replica? Steven Hatfill. As soon as the replica was completed, Dr. Steven Hatfill became a "person of interest" to the FBI in the anthrax case.

Hatfill has maintained that he is innocent of any involvement in the 2001 anthrax letter attacks and is suing the government for compensation for the damage he claims has been inflicted on his professional reputation and employment prospects [7].

His lawyer, Victor M. Glasberg [8], stated: "Steve's life has been devastated by a drumbeat of innuendo, implication and speculation. We have a frightening public attack on an individual who, guilty or not, should not be exposed to this type of public opprobrium based on speculation." [9]

In an embarrassing incident, FBI agents trailing Hatfill in a motor vehicle ran over his foot when he attempted to approach them in May, 2003. Police responding to the incident did not cite the driver, but issued Hatfill a citation for "walking to create a hazard." [10] He and his attorneys fought the ticket, but, after listening for nearly a half-hour to the officer who issued the citation and to Hatfill's attorneys, a hearing officer upheld the ticket and ordered Hatfill to pay the requisite $5 fine. [11]

[edit] Hatfill v. John Ashcroft et al

On August 26 2003, Hatfill filed a lawsuit[12] against the Attorney General of the United States John Ashcroft, the United States Department Of Justice, DOJ employees Timothy Beres and Daryl Darnell, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Van Harp and an unknown number of Agents of the FBI.[13]

[edit] Hatfill v. The New York Times

In July 2004, Hatfill filed a lawsuit against The New York Times Company and Nicholas D. Kristof [14].

In a sealed motion [15] on December 29, 2006, the New York Times argued that the classification restrictions imposed on the case were tantamount to an assertion of the state secrets privilege. Times attorneys cited the case law on state secrets to support their argument that the case should be dismissed. The "state secrets" doctrine, they said, "precludes a case from proceeding to trial when national security precludes a party from obtaining evidence that is... necessary to support a valid defense. Dismissal is warranted in this case because the Times has been denied access to such evidence, specifically documents and testimony concerning the work done by plaintiff [Hatfill] on classified government projects relating to bioweapons, including anthrax."

A redacted copy [16]of the December 29, 2006 New York Times Memorandum of Law in Support of Defendant's Motion for an Order Dismissing the Complaint Under the "State Secrets" Doctrine was obtained by Secrecy News [17].

Attorneys for Dr. Hatfill filed a sealed response on January 12, 2007 in opposition to the motion for dismissal on state secrets grounds. A redacted copy [18] of their opposition has been made available by Secrecy News [19].

On January 12, 2007, a judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Hatfill against The New York Times. [20]

On January 30, 2007, Judge Hilton's order dismissing the Hatfill v The New York Times was made public, along with a Memorandum Opinion explaining his ruling.

The Order: [21] The Opinion: [22]

[edit] Hatfill v. Foster

Donald Foster, an expert in forensic linguistics, advised the FBI during the investigation of the anthrax attacks. He later wrote an article for Vanity Fair about his investigation of Hatfill. In the October 2003 article Foster described how he had tried to match up Hatfill's travels with the postmarks on the anthrax letters, and analyzed old interviews and an unpublished novel by Hatfill about a bioterror attack on the United States. Foster wrote that "When I lined up Hatfill's known movements with the postmark locations of reported biothreats, those hoax anthrax attacks appeared to trail him like a vapor cloud," [23]

Hatfill subsequently sued Donald Foster, Condé Nast Publications, Vassar College, and The Reader's Digest Association. The suit sought $10 million in damages, claiming defamation. [24] The Reader's Digest published a condensed version of the article in December 2003.

The lawyers delayed bringing the Hatfill v Foster lawsuit to court because "the parties are close to finalizing the settlement" [25].

On February 27, 2007, The New York Sun reported "Hatfill Settles $10M Libel Lawsuit"[26]

[edit] References

• Burger, Marlene, "Murky past of a US bio-warrior", Mail & Guardian, (date disputed; URL retrieved September 11, 2006).
• Bright, Martin, and Cooper, Simon, "Anthrax suspect lied to get jobs", The Observer, June 1, 2003 (URL retrieved September 11, 2006).
• Bright, Martin, and Cooper, Simon, "Walter Mitty life of anthrax terror suspect", The Observer, June 1, 2003 (URL retrieved September 11, 2006).
• Cooper, Simon, The Lesson of Steven Hatfill, Seed, May/June 2003 (URL retrieved September 11, 2006).
• Foster, Don, "The Message In The Anthrax", Vanity Fair, pp. 180-200, October 1, 2003 (URL retrieved September 11, 2006).
• http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/vforum/02/anthrax_media/index.html Video of Columbia University School of Journalism Panel Discussion of Hatfill Investigation and Trial by Media
• Tell, David '"The Hunting of Steven J. Hatfill"'. The Weekly Standard Sept 16th 2002 (URL retrieved November 11, 2006).
• Weaver, Tony, "AWB sympathiser quizzed over anthrax killings", Daily News (South Africa), July 1, 2002 (URL retrieved September 11, 2006).
• Stix, Nicholas, "Media manufacture cloud of suspicion over Hatfill," Insight on the News, August 12, 2002.
• Stix, Nicholas, "Scientist with Rhodesian past still center of media crosshairs," Insight on the News, September 30, 2002.

[edit] External links

• http://www.anthraxinvestigation.com/hatfill.pdf One of Hatfill's resumés.
• http://www.anthraxattacks.net/ A Web Site that examines Hatfill's background in relation to the 2001 anthrax attacks.
• http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/8/19/201601.shtml Supportive of Hatfill and calls the FBI investigation of Hatfill a "crucifixion."
• http://cryptome.quintessenz.org/mirror/hatfill.pdf "Questionable (Quite Possibly Unsavory) Past – Ideal Fall-Guy for the Anthrax Incidents"
• http://jdo.org/hatfill A Web Site that poses a challenge to Hatfill (termed "The Bioevangelist") to sue the Author (Alan J Weberman). Weberman offers Hatfill's spokesperson, Pat Clawson, "a five pound glatt kosher pastrami sandwich on two thick slices of kosher rye bread with an entire jar of deli-mustard on it....if he can convince Hatfill to sue us"
• http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:W7KpqUhVqV0J:hatfill.blogspot.com/2004_08_08_hatfill_archive.html+Far+from+being+the+anthrax+killer,+biodefense+insider+and+acknowledged+leg-puller+Steve+Hatfill+is+a+willing+fall+guy+in+a+diversion+staged+to+paper+over+an+unvoicable+reality.&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=za A Blog devoted to a thesis that "Far from being the anthrax killer, biodefense insider and acknowledged leg-puller Steve Hatfill is a willing fall guy in a diversion staged to paper over an unvoicable reality"
• http://luigiwarren.blogspot.com A Blog that contains information about Hatfill's activities in South Africa during the Apartheid years
• http://luigiwarren.blogspot.com/2006/02/steve-had-righteously-decided-such.html An account of Hatfill "in action" in Rhodesia by Peter McAleese