wtf....Anthrax suspect's lawyer speaks up for FBI

[FormerOstrich]

If this doesn't boggle the mind.....wtf...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In an unusual move, an attorney for anthrax suspect Bruce Ivins, who committed suicide last month, is speaking up for the government, saying it should not be blamed for his death.

..

"Some press accounts have contained statements faulting the FBI for Dr. Bruce Ivins' suicide. We disavow such speculation," attorney Paul Kemp said Thursday in a statement obtained by CNN. He said the statement was issued in reaction to reports on Web sites and blogs talking about the death.

Some of Ivins' friends have said the FBI harassed him and his family and that could have led to his taking of his own life.

Although the defense attorneys have said that they think Ivins is innocent and say the government's evidence has many holes, Kemp said, "both and counsel were treated fairly and professionally" by the prosecutors and FBI agents overseeing the case.

....

On July 7, federal prosecutor Rachel Lieber contacted defense attorneys regarding reports she had received from personnel at Fort Detrick, Maryland, where Ivins worked, regarding his "deteriorating medical condition," Kemp said. "We believe that Ms. Lieber acted out of concern for his welfare."

Kemp says that although speculation has been aimed at Ivins regarding the attacks, "it is wrong to answer such speculation with similarly unfounded accusations and innuendo" against prosecutors and FBI agents

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/21/ivins.attorney/

[musette_sf]

1. someone sent the goons after Kemp

evidently.

[mogur]

2. Kemp first says that the children were hounded, that...

it was their word against the FBI. NPR Interview With Ivins' Attorney Paul Kemp by Laura Sullivan-

Do you have any information about the idea that the FBI is coming down really hard on him. Has it been tough on the family? Was it tough on him to have the FBI putting him under constant surveillance?
Yes. It was very difficult for him, but again there I'd be getting into relating to you things he had told me, and I'm not going to do that.
But I know from the family they were very upset about their description of what occurred at the execution of the search warrant. And on November 1 of 2007, they were all taken from their homes and taken by the FBI to a hotel in the Frederick area.
I do want to add that had called me and said they were doing it after they had removed the Ivins family from the home. So it's not as if they removed him incognito. And this was at the direction of Mr. Kohl and Lieber, that they contacted me so that I could go there, at 10 o'clock at night, on the first of November. And I did go there, and went there and met with them and calmed them down, and things of that sort. And the FBI was in the process of really a 24-hour search of the house and all the cars of the family.
And they split the family up?
They did. They put them in different rooms so that they couldn't, I suppose, get some statement together. But then while I was there, they let him consult with his wife and talk with his wife.
Did you find out anything about how the interview went with the kids?
I did, from the children. And they complained of their treatment from the agents. And I understand from the statement from Mr. Taylor that the agents denied that there were any problems, whatsoever. And I can't comment on the credibility of the agents vs. the children. I only know what I was told by the children.
What did they tell you?
The daughter indicated that the agents who came to see her and got her at her apartment in Hagerstown, Md., indicated that her father had killed five people and had tried to kill many more, and that they wanted to make sure that he could not kill anybody, anymore.
And she had a terrible reaction to that. And this is the same daughter who was upset in 2001, at the time he was under stress, Dr. Ivins was under stress, and, as he contended, was going and visiting the office, staying in the office at that time, just so he could do some work there because he was dealing with the problems with the daughter who, at that point, was in high school.
The son was told by the agents that there was a $2.5 million reward and that he could purchase a really nice car with that, and that's what the son had contended to me.
That's what the son told you?
Yes.
And how were the two of them — were they upset by these interrogations?
Yes, extremely.
How did they feel? What did they tell you they felt?
"How can they say that about our father? What do they think we are?" And, you know, "This is just wrong." They were very upset and angry.

Now that Kemp isn't getting paid by Ivins, what a slime-ball ambulance-chasing, piece of shit he is. Ivins own attorney... Damn was it threats, intimidation, bribe, or are you even human, Paul?

[FormerOstrich]

4. I agree with your assesment of the man...

Kemp, a partner with Venable LLP in Rockville, is neither a legal representative of Ivins’ estate nor Ivins’ paid spokesman. But at the request of Ivins’ family, Kemp said, he continues to publicly question the government’s evidence and focus on Ivins, who Kemp maintains is innocent.

“If I don’t speak on the state of affairs on Dr. Ivins’ behalf, no one would,” Kemp said. “There’s not going to be a trial to tell our side of the story.”

http://www.mddailyrecord.com/article.cfm?id=6311&type=UTTM

Sounds to me the family asked him to look out for the guy's memory...but I guess it's just too much of a burden form Kemp...what an ass.

[lonestarnot]

7. That is pretty fucking disgusting.

[mogur]

3. more quotes from Kemp...

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gH1fcT1QrjvwIaAZTO63_lxHs9EQD929IT480

"The relentless pressure of accusation and innuendo takes its toll in different ways," said Kemp, Ivins' attorney. "In Dr. Ivins' case, it led to his untimely death."


http://celebritycity.blogspot.com/2008/08/asshole-of-day-bruce-ivins-anthrax.html

"We are saddened by his death, and disappointed that we will not have the opportunity to defend his good name and reputation in a court of law," attorney Paul F. Kemp said. "We assert his innocence in these killings, and would have established that at trial."

Kemp said that Ivins' death was the result of the government's "relentless pressure of accusation and innuendo"

[Junkdrawer]

5. The pressure that lead Ivins to suicide has lead Kemp to recant...

Shocked, I tell you. I am shocked!

[FormerOstrich]

6. I'm going to kick this one more time...

because I thought it would have received more discussion....especially from those of us which have been sort focused on this case.....

The more I think about this man's turnaround the more disturbing I believe it is. I can see pressure to STFU but to speak up for the FBI??? Sort of frightening!

[mogur]

8. Wait a minute...

This doesn't make any sense.

On July 7, federal prosecutor Rachel Lieber contacted defense attorneys regarding reports she had received from personnel at Fort Detrick, Maryland, where Ivins worked, regarding his "deteriorating medical condition," Kemp said.

A federal prosecutor tells Kemp that his client's fellow workers are reporting whacko behavior on July 7th. What fellow workers? The only ones speaking to the press are blaming the FBI for Ivins' death. And why would they report weird behavior to a federal prosecutor? Not the first person that would pop into my head if for some reason I wanted to rat out a fellow employee. And why would Lieber report to Kemp?

Duley told the court that she contacted Ivins' lawyers and police after the session (July 9th alcohol class).

If she is afraid of him, why the hell would she expose herself as a tattle-tale to a homicidal maniac's attorney? And she knew who his attorney was? Why would she know that?

Ivins was supposed to have a permanent commitment hearing at Sheppard Pratt, but Duley said his attorney advised him to check himself in voluntarily so that he may leave when he wished.

Duley claims to know that his attorney advised him to voluntarily commit himself? How does this fucktard learn priviledged information between a client and his attorney?

So, to sum it up- Kemp gets a call from the FBI while they are searching Ivins' property. Ivins doesn't call him, the FBI do. Then on July 7th, a fed prosecutor tells him that workers are reporting Ivins' crazy behavior. Then on July 9th, Kemp gets a call from Duley, warning him that she has contacted the police about Ivins' threats. Then Kemp supposedly gets Ivins to use a loophole in order to avoid involuntary commitment, allowing Ivins to commit suicide two days after signing himself out. They are all fucking lying. I don't know who's paying Kemp, but he sure seems to be in the government's loop, somehow.

[EFerrari]

9. Maybe it wasn't Ft. Detrick personnel but FBI personnel that

made that report on 7/7.

[FormerOstrich]

12. Yes, it doesn't make sense....

I thought it odd he mentioned Rachel Lieber had contacted him. I didn't remember reading/hearing anything about such. Google searching returns very little about Rachel Lieber and her involvement on this case except...

Drinking heavily and displaying the instability that would lead him to kill himself, Dr. Doom boasted during group therapy that he had a bulletproof vest and access to his son's Glock handgun.

"I have a list of witnesses that I am going to kill," Ivins said, according to Assistant US Attorney Rachel Lieber.

Now it certainly sounds as if Ms Lieber and Ms Duley have been comparing notes. They almost sound one in the same.

Regardless, I found Kemp's mention of her very odd. Since Kemp is the one that relayed much of the abuse by the FBI, one must assume that Kemp considers showing children of suspects autopsy photos and stalking the family is professional!

Thanks for the reply mogur!

[EFerrari]

10. Remember, he didn't write the headline. . . n/t

[EFerrari]

11. Who wrote this thing? There is no new statement on Paul's web site.

Until I see his comments in context, I'm going to reserve judgment. If I find it anywhere, I'll post it here.

[FormerOstrich]

13. Thanks sfexpat2000...

I was hoping you would weigh in!! You have been so on top of this case I was anxious to hear your input. I hope you are correct.

THANK YOU!!!!

[EFerrari]

14. Well, usually the spew that CNN puts out is recycled, right?

But, I don't find an AP story or anything. When I go to Paul's site, there is nothing there later than 8/6:

http://www.venable.com/professionals.cfm?action=press_releases&attorney_id=623

Until we know otherwise, consider the source. Kevin Bohn works for CNN and the best that can be said about that is, it's a job. lol

[mogur]

15. Upon reflection....

You are absolutely right. The fact that Kemp seems to have reversed himself on the behavior of the FBI, is no reason to jump all over him, yet. Kemp has made public too much damaging information on the 'task force', to write him off so quickly. I was a little hasty.

Kemp supplied the explanation of how Ivins' sample submissions were not an attempt to deceive the FBI, but rather a screw-up on the FBI's part. Ivins sent two RMR-1029 smears out in February, 2002, one of the very first scientist to do so. When the FBI asked for another set in April, Ivins sent in an isolate of the RMR-1029 batch, instead of a smear, assuming that's what the FBI wanted. Since the isolate did not have the four markers, the FBI is claiming Ivins' intended to deceive them. Kemp exposed the FBI claims of Ivins' deceit as utter nonsense.

Kemp has also been the only one to offer a reasonable explanation for Ivins' late hours at the lab. The FBI claims that Ivins' only offered "home not good" (yeah, I bet that's exactly how a PhD talks) in response to the FBI's queries. Kemp says that the late hours at the lab were due to Ivins' daughter experiencing difficult times during high school which required a considerable amount of Ivins' time during the day. His lab work at night, during that period, was largely to make up for missed time on his routine work.

So I guess we will just have to hold judgment on Kemp for now.

[EFerrari]

16. I've tried to email Bohn although the mail went to his department

and not to himself. No one has picked this story up and it came out on Thursday evening.