Call me crazy. But after viewing this very creepy exchange between Patrick Leahy and Michael Mukasey regarding the anthrax killer, I got the feeling that both of them know exactly who sent those anthrax-laden letters almost seven years ago.
Leahy uses the recent settlement between Hatfill and DOJ to raise the issue. As he raises it, he notes that he is privy to classified information about the anthrax killer, and because of that he has refrained from even discussing the case.
Leahy: I almost hate to get into the case of Steven Hatfill. I’ve refrained from discussing this, I’ve refused to discuss it with the press. I’ve told them some aspects of it I was aware of were classified so of course I could not discuss it but also, considering the fact that my life was threatened by an anthrax letter, two people died who touched a letter addressed to me I was supposed to open, I’m somewhat concerned.
What happened?
Mukasey: That case …
Then Leahy makes s curious statement: we’re paying Hatfill, which means that the guy who committed the crime is going free.
Leahy: We’re paying Hatfill millions of dollars, the indication being the guy who committed the crime went free.
I’ll let you sort through the logic of that sentence. But know that Mukasey doesn’t like it–not at all.
Mukasey: Well, um, I don’t understand, quote, the guy who committed the crime, unquote, to have gone free. What I do understand is…
Leahy: Nobody’s been convicted.
Mukasey: Not yet.
Leahy: And five people are dead.
Mukasey: Yes, um…
Leahy: And hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent.
Eventually, it seems that Muaksey concedes that he, too, has very specific knowledge about the case.
Mukasey: That case is under active investigation and I need to be very careful about what I say.
Which Leahy seems to confirm. After all, if they didn’t have very specific things to say to each other about the pursuit of the anthrax terrorist, then what good would a "private talk" about this be?
Leahy: We won’t go any further. As I say, I feel somewhat reluctant because I was one of the targets. But I gotta say, what families of the people who died went through, what families of the people who were crippled went through, even what my family went through. A lot of people are concerned and I won’t say more because we are in open session but I think you and I probably should have a private talk about this sometime.
Mukasey: That’s fine.
Leahy ends with a comment that may well be directed at Mukasey’s unwillingness to prosecute Bush officials for torture, or may well be directed toward fraudsters who tamper with elections, or may well be directed at the contractors who are seemingly immune from prosecution in Iraq, or may well be directed at Turdblossom’s involvement in the persecution of Don Siegelman.
Leahy: You’re the one person, the one person, who has the final say the laws are going to apply to everybody in this nation.
But I can’t help but wonder whether Leahy suspects the government doesn’t think the laws against terrorism ought to apply to "guy who committed" the anthrax attacks.