Friday, February 3rd, 2012 | Posted by rbutler

Leak Complaints End Federal Witch Hunt Against Lance Armstrong

Where are your tireless IP lawyers on this one, Walt? Months after Lance Armstrong’s
attorney sought an investigation of federal government leaks to the
establishment media,
U.S. attorneys have ended their investigation of the cycling
champion.

United States Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. capitulated in a press
conference today, announcing that his office “is closing an
investigation into allegations of federal criminal conduct by
members and associates of a professional bicycle racing team owned
in part by Lance Armstrong.”

Birotte failed to specify his reasons for closing down the
investigation into claims of blood doping. Since July, Armstrong
attorney Mark Fabiani has been demanding an investigation to find
whether prosecutors were actively leaking damaging details to
reporters.

Armstrong, who survived advanced testicular cancer at age 25 but
went on to win the Tour de France seven times and date Sheryl Crow,
was targeted not only by the federal government but by 60
Minutes. Anchorman Scott Pelley devoted nearly an hour of
broadcast time and several “Overtimes”
to hawking an anti-Armstrong interview with cyclist Tyler
Hamilton, an admitted serial doper whose Olympic gold medal has
been revoked. (Armstrong during his career passed 24 unannounced
tests for performance-enhancement violations.)

“Blood doping” is a process of concentrating red blood cells so
that your blood will somehow be more vigorous than that of other
cyclists, who presumably must make do with whatever hemotherapeutic
benefits can be derived from eating liver and oysters. Although
doping once required an uncomfortable process of blood extraction
and transfusion, advances since the 1980s have made it easier and
more convenient.

I have never met Lance Armstrong and have no particular feelings
about him. Although I find his public persona more agreeable than
those of the only other cyclists I can name – Floyd Landis and Greg
LeMond – Armstrong was sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service, a
legally protected monopoly that should not require any advertising.
As far as I’m concerned, the only Tour de France winner who matters
is Pee Wee
Herman.

But I do wonder why the squares went after him with such

You can read the rest of this article at: http://reason.com/blog/2012/02/03/leak-complaints-end-federal-witch-hunt-a

Short URL: http://www.txwclp.org/?p=3741

Posted by rbutler on Feb 3 2012. Filed under Libertarian News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry