Case Closed... And Then Open A Little

I think the FBI's "open and shut" case on Bruce Ivins is landing with a thud. Their claims keep getting contradicted by material evidence. They said that the envelopes purchased to mail the letters could only have been bought at the post office where Ivins had a PO Box, but that turns out to be inaccurate. They said that there is evidence in the documents released about searches of Ivins' car and home, but there isn't. There's no evidence matching Ivins' handwriting to the writing on the letters. The strain of anthrax used in the killings, considered rare and only available to 10 people, turns out to be more prevalent and available in up to 15 government labs. And most damning, the government is still looking for evidence in the anthrax case.

The government is still searching for evidence that Bruce Ivins was solely responsible for the 2001 anthrax attacks despite declaring the case solved.

Search warrants and other documents filed Thursday in federal court in Washington show the FBI wants to look through computers Ivins used at his local library before he killed himself last week.

Gee, I thought the case was closed.

As details continue to leak out, including an assertion that Ivins took an administrative leave for several hours on the day the letters may have been sent - a detail left completely out of the DoJ's document dump - it's no wonder that lawmakers on Capitol Hill are starting to ask questions.

Last night, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) sent a three-page letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey and FBI Director Robert Mueller III, asking them to respond to 18 questions about virtually every aspect of the probe.

In the House, Rep. Rush Holt, a Democrat who represents the New Jersey district where the anthrax-laced letters were mailed, says he's talking to other House members about a combined inquiry involving the judiciary, intelligence, science and technology, and government oversight committees.

That's exactly what we need. Meryl Nass has a lot more.