The Journal has picked up the story about Padilla/Muhajir being John Doe #2. (For paid subscribers only, unfortunately).

I found these quotes from the FBI interesting:

...The FBI, which isn't taking these claims seriously, now says that John Doe 2 probably never existed...

...FBI officials dismiss talk of any likeness. "We couldn't find any evidence to indicate there was a John Doe 2 despite what people were saying," said one FBI official. As for the Padilla link, he said, "You're kidding, right?..."

Well, from what I've seen of the many eyewitness accounts, there was a lot of evidence that he existed. And given the FBI's performance, in that case and many others before and since, leading right up to the present, I find their inability to find something or someone less than compelling evidence that he doesn't exist...

And of course, it's impossible to prove non-existence.

Certainly, new proof of his existence would be quite embarrassing for the FBI, and the former Clinton Administration officials, including a certain candidate for governor in Florida, who basically halted the investigation once they found their politically-opportune right-wing militia types.

It just wouldn't have done to complicate the case with Middle Eastern connections--Clinton might have had to actually do something about it, and it would have distracted the public from the "right-wing hate radio" spin that he was using to resurrect his so-far failed presidency in early 1995.

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