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the CIA for a while. From "Government By Anthrax" by Richard J. Ochs (revised June 9, 2002):
"The CIA has cultures of the Ames strain.<46> The Agency has been conducting secret experiments with powdered germs since 1997 at Battelle Memorial Institute in Ohio.<47> Battelle received the Ames strain from Fort Detrick in May of 2001.<48> The CIA said it was trying to develop defenses against anthrax, but did not explain why it was doing what other defense labs were set up to do. As of December 16, 2001, one FBI investigator said that the CIA’s anthrax project was the “best lead they have at this point.”<49>"
The anthrax letters were probably prepared before 9/11, according to the report by the American Federation of Scientists.
More from "Government by Anthrax": "The atmosphere of terror in Congress was expressed by Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio: “. . . a state of siege traps us in a state of fear, ill equipped to deal with the patriot games, the mind games, the war games. . .” He lamented the physical and psychological disruption and disorientation of lawmakers at a time when calm objectivity was required for wise decisions"
"Oct. 3 – Senate Majority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (Dem., S.D.) says he doubts the Senate could take up the anti-terrorist legislation before next week, as the administration had asked. Attorney General John A. Ashcroft accuses Senate Democrats of dragging their feet.<4>
Oct. 4 – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (Dem., Vt.) accuses the administration of reneging on an agreement on the anti-terrorist bill. Some warn that “lawmakers are were overlooking constitutional flaws in their rush to meet the administration’s timetable.”<5>
Oct. 6 – Under the headline, “Glow of bipartisanship seems to dim,” the Baltimore Sun reports: “…opposed by most Senate Democrats, Ashcroft complained about the rather slow pace…over his request for law enforcement powers…Hard feelings remain.”<6>
Oct. 8 – Under the headline, “Cracks in Bipartisanship Start to Show,” The Washington Post reports, “Congress has lost some of the shock-induced unity with which it first responded to the 9/11 attacks.”<7>
Oct.9 – Senator Feingold blocks an attempt to rush the Patriot Act to a vote with little debate and no opportunity for amendments. Feingold criticizes the Bill as a threat to liberty.<8>
Oct.9 – Identical anthraxed letters are postmarked in Trenton, N.J., with lethal doses to Senators Daschle and Leahy.
Oct. 10 & 11 – The original batch of the Ames strain of anthrax is destroyed with the permission of the FBI, making tracing the anthrax type more difficult.<9>
Oct.11 – First Senate version of the Bill passes.<10>
Oct.12 – First House version of the Bill passes.<11>
Oct.12 – House-Senate debate on Bill starts.<12>
Oct.12 – Second anthrax case reported at NBC in NYC.
Oct.13 – Baltimore Sun reports that the media may have been targeted for a “coordinated bioterrorism” attack.<13>
Oct.13 – President Bush says: “The anthrax attacks might be tied to Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida terrorist network.”<14>
Oct.15 – Tom Brokaw of NBC opens anthraxed letter containing Islamic threats and phrases.
Oct.15 – Senator Daschle’s office opens the letter mailed Oct.9, containing a lethal dose of anthrax. Senator Leahy’s similar letter was misrouted to Virginia.
Oct.16 – The Senate office buildings shut down.Oct.17 – House of Representatives shut down; 28 congressional staffers test positive for anthrax.
Oct.17 – The New York and Florida letters are found to contain the Ames strain.
Oct.18 – An assistant of CBS Dan Rather contracts anthrax.
Oct.21 – Letters to N.Y.Post, NBC and Senator Daschle are found to have identical handwriting of “Death to America, Death to Israel, Allah is Great.”
Oct. 24 – House passes the final version of the Patriot Act and other previously unpopular Bush projects: Alaska oil drilling, $25 billion in tax cuts for corporations, taps into Social Security funds and cuts in education.<15>
Oct.25 – Congressional mail halted. Senator Daschle switched from supporting a 2 year limit on the Patriot Act to defending a 4 year sunset clause as the “appropriate balance.”<16>
Oct.26 – Senate passes the final version Patriot Act.<17>
Oct.26 – President Bush signs the constitutionally questionable USA Patriot Act.<18>
Oct.27 – Supreme Court shut down with anthrax scare.<19>
November - No more anthrax letters received by anyone. November – Congressional buildings reopened. November – Three top anthrax experts with knowledge of the U.S. bioweapons program died under suspicious circumstances within a ten day period."
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