Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday vigorously challenged FBI Director Robert Mueller on the bureau's handling of the anthrax-mailings investigation, signaling they are not convinced the case has been solved.
Both the panel's Democratic chairman and its most senior Republican said the FBI has not proved that the mailings were perpetrated solely by Bruce Ivins, an Army scientist who killed himself after learning he was to be indicted.
The anthrax-laced letters were mailed in the fall of 2001 and killed five people. Two were addressed to members of Congress, including Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who shouted with emotion at times during Wednesday's hearing.
Mueller did not waver, testifying that he believed prosecutors could have proved their case before a jury.
A review of the DNA fingerprinting at the heart of the case will be overseen by the National Academy of Sciences.
LOS ANGELES TIMES
