I wonder if there’s more to the story of the Las Vegas threat than the FBI wants us to know? J.J. Johnson thinks so. He interviewed the man who picked up the Arabic phone call himself.

The Las Vegas Review Journal article on Saturday sent us on a mission. We were determined to meet Michael Hamdan for several reasons:

1. The FBI said that the story was not credible but did not provide any reasons for this conclusion – as if somehow in the last two weeks the FBI itself has acquired the credibility to pass judgment. They have missed tips before.

2. The FBI mentioned a polygraph, but never stated that Mr. Hamdan had failed it. In typical government newspeak, they implied a connection and hoped their 8th grade reading level subjects would make that assumption.

3. Mr. Hamdan claimed that the FBI did not return his phone calls. This happened to us in 1996, in the aftermath of the pipe-bombing at the Olympics.

4. Mr. Hamdan was demonized by the local media. Due to our past experience, that was a clear red flag.

In short, we’ve seen this movie before.

I’m wondering if the FBI is saying publicly that there’s nothing to it, to prevent panic and reduction in casino business over the holiday, while hoping to find/prevent the perps from carrying it out. If so, they’re playing a very dangerous game.