Contractor Blackwater in Hot Water Again
Posted by The Crux | Last week, we learned that security contractor Blackwater USA upset the Iraqi government after employees questionably killed civilians. Friday, the Associated Press reported:
"Federal prosecutors are investigating whether employees of the private security firm Blackwater USA illegally smuggled into Iraq weapons that may have been sold on the black market and ended up in the hands of a U.S.-designated terrorist organization....
"The U.S. Attorney's Office in Raleigh, N.C., is handling the investigation with help from Pentagon and State Department auditors, who have concluded there is enough evidence to file charges."
Help from State Department auditors? Three days ago, the House Oversight Committee announced evidence that State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard impeded his investigators' efforts to cooperate with the Justice Department's Blackwater investigations. (See committee letter and Washington Post).
Blackwater founder Erik Prince was a major donor to President Bush and other pro-war Republicans. Journalist Jeremy Scahill wrote a best-selling book called Blackwater: the Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army.
Related Posts:
* Inspector General Blocked Investigations into Waste & Fraud?
Comments