(WASHINGTON, DC)—Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption and abuse, announced today that it will take legal measures to protect postal workers at the V Street postal facility to ensure that the government negligence that resulted in the deaths of 8 postal workers will not occur again. Judicial Watch represents hundreds of United States Postal Service (USPS) workers and a USPS workers’ support group, “Brentwood Exposed,” concerning all matters related to the October 2001 anthrax attacks.

The Washington Post reported today (See Washington Post, “NE Mail Facility Closed After Possible Anthrax Finding,” Page B-7) that the V Street facility for sorting government mail was closed as a precautionary measure after a letter sent to the Federal Reserve Board had indicated the potential presence of the anthrax bacteria. Tom Day, the Vice President for Engineering at the USPS, was quoted yesterday as saying that “There’s absolutely nothing that indicates we have a contamination problem here,” but Judicial Watch has heard this all before with deadly outcome. According to the Federal Reserve spokesman, Michelle Smith, the contaminated letter tested positive January 3rd and a second test on Friday, January 4th also tested positive, yet Mr. Day and the government insists that there is “no evidence of contamination.” Officials have known about the anthrax-positive letter for at least 10 days but did not take precautionary measures until yesterday, and only then because officials were worried that the presence of technicians wearing biohazard suits could cause a panic among postal workers.

In December, Judicial Watch was forced to file a complaint for criminal investigation with Roscoe Howard, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, after shocking documents Judicial Watch received from a previous Freedom of Information Act request revealed that postal officials knew that the Brentwood facility was contaminated, yet kept it open for four additional days, endangering postal workers and the American public. The documents are available at Judicial Watch’s Internet web site: www.JudicialWatch.org.

On January 10, 2003, Judicial Watch issued a press release stating that the Bush Administration has failed to provide a complete and accurate response to a Freedom of Information Act request concerning the decision to place the President, Vice President and White House staff on the powerful antibiotic, Cipro, on the same day as the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. By contrast, the USPS workers from Washington, DC’s Brentwood Postal Facility- Judicial Watch clients- were denied antibiotic treatment, even after it became apparent that the facility had been contaminated.

“Judicial Watch will not allow the government to give deadly short shrift to ordinary Americans, like the postal workers, again,” stated Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman.

Click here to view Letter from Larry Klayman to John E. Potter.