Cal_Joe said:
An anonymous source. Exactly the same type of source that has been the basis for all news articles that have appeared since the investigation was ended.
The question is, why should you, or anyone else, favor one anonymous source over another?
Let me count the reasons:
1) as your own post acknowledges, this is one anonymous source, vs. many that have appeared to support the view that there was plenty of evidence.
2) The US Attorney could have said, “I was pressured into dropping the case”, but because he allegedly said, “there wasn’t enough evidence”, we can be quite sure there wasn’t enough evidence. If he had been pressured, he of course would have been falling all over himself to tell some source that he was pressured. He would never, ever consider a more sanitized version for public consumption, even if that would avoid possible repercussions from his superiors. Right? And of course, if there were insufficient evidence, he would not mention this in his initial press release, because it's so much more likely that you would hide reasonable, fair, legal reasons for terminating an investigation than you would hide reasons that suggest political pressure. Right?
3) Whereas agents working on the case would have every motive to lie or distort their view of the evidence, right? Because if there in fact was not enough evidence, by lying about this and insisting that there was, they would be enhancing their relationships with the US Attorney, right? And by being unable to explain why, if there was so little evidence, they were caught by surprise by the announcement, they would be enhancing their credibility with the press, right?
4) Of course the agents might not have been lying, but sincerely deluded about the strength of the evidence. After all, the alleged statement of one man who was somewhat removed from the case should be given precedence over the word of numerous agents who were actually working on the case. Just as I tend to believe Assad’s version of what’s going on in Syria as more likely than that of numerous reporters in the middle of the action there. Right?
Congratulations for reading the article this time around.
An obvious lesson - don't trust anyone. Read the links. Make up your own mind.
And be sure that you selectively focus on one quote that supports the idea that there was not enough evidence, rather than these quotes that immediately preceded and followed that line:
According the NPR, sources indicated that charges were close to being brought against a number of individuals, which included fraud, witness tampering, mail fraud, and drug distribution. One source, NPR says, said there were ‘no weaknesses in the case’
“I talked to someone within the investigation but the reason why the case was shut down was due to a one-man decision. The evidence against those involved was absolutely overwhelming. They were going to be charged with a slew of crimes but for reasons unexplained he closed the case saying it wasn't open for discussion,” the source said.
It's easier to make up your mind when your mind knows just what to look for, isn't it?