Big BlackwaterUSA Bump!
Posted on 10/30/2007 4:32:15 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner
The State Department promised Blackwater USA bodyguards immunity from prosecution in its investigation of last month's deadly shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians, The Associated Press has learned.
The immunity deal has delayed a criminal inquiry into the Sept. 16 killings and could undermine any effort to prosecute security contractors for their role in the incident that has infuriated the Iraqi government.
(snip)
FBI agents were returning to Washington late Monday from Baghdad, where they have been trying to collect evidence in the Sept. 16 embassy convoy shooting without using statements from Blackwater employees who were given immunity.
(snip)
The FBI took over the case early this month, officials said, after prosecutors in the Justice Department's criminal division realized it could not bring charges against Blackwater guards based on their statements to the Diplomatic Security investigators.
Officials said the Blackwater bodyguards spoke only after receiving so-called "Garrity" protections, requiring that their statements only be used internally — and not for criminal prosecutions.
At that point, the Justice Department shifted the investigation to prosecutors in its national security division, sealing the guards' statements and attempting to build a case based on other evidence from a crime scene that was then already two weeks old.
The FBI has re-interviewed some of the Blackwater employees, and one official said Monday that at least several of them have refused to answer questions, citing their constitutional right to avoid self-incrimination. Any statements that the guards give to the FBI could be used to bring criminal charges.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
hampers = derails the railroading
Yep.
Just so we’re clear on this...the gist of this article is that the Department of Justice is STILL trying to figure out a way to prosecute Blackwater personel, even though they have immunity.
Am I right?
Apparently. This is despite the original reports of the incident starting from the detonation of an explosive device. Blackwater personnel do not guard State Department convoys by tossing around explosives. They were clearly ambushed. So it was the enemy that chose the ambush sight and time, therefore they are responsible for any collateral injuries or casualties.
That agency has no authority whatsoever with Iraq operations other than those that may travel to the US (Iraqis) and may be questionable from a security risk standpoint.
Translation: despite their left wing bias, the state department officials decided to stay alive.
Yup....Dem / Lib controlled Justice department. Morons. Those in the Justice Dept. trying to investigate / prosecute anyone in Blackwater for actions within Iraq, interviewing with the LSM Drive-By, have no clue as to how f’n stupid they are looking to most of the citizens in the US. Then again, anyone here in this country listening to the BS and thinking domestic agencies have any power in this situation, well, they’re just as stupid.
The fact that a CAR BOMB exploded minutes before the convoy went through has become completely irrelevant at this point. Even though I am not nor ever was in Iraq/Afghanistan, I get the impression that when a bomb explodes that tells ya the bad guys are around. It’s amazing that when you read the stories about this incident from September until now it’s totally different.
This reeks of another Haditha-style frameup.
Somebody should smack the FBI and Brasshats upside the head and remind them who’s side they are SUPPOSED TO BE ON!
Ooops—pardon me.
THAT would require LEADERSHIP, after all. I’m forgetting that lefty JAGs rule these days.
My bad.
Hey, FBI, sniff over THIS way:
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/ksil520.pdf
USAWC STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP COURSE
PHASING OUT PRIVATE SECURITY CONTRACTORS IN IRAQ
by
Colonel Bobby A. Towery
United States Army
REPORT INITIATED BY JOHN MURTHA TO GET CONTRACTORS OUT OF THE WAR.
It's what the feds get paychecks for. They are "finding" a crime in a set of curcumstances. If they fill out enough 302 form's they could morph Christimas Day into a federal crime.
Gave it a quick read but haven’t had time to check the references. They are saying it will take seven years to replace the contractors by training the locals “at the current rate” (of training). I don’t suppose they want to... oh, speed that up somehow?
I don’t think the intent of the report was that innocent. The report was done on the premise of claiming the contractors, BlackWaterUSA as the specific focus, undermine the legitimacy of, and threaten, the Iraqi government. The report was to devise scenarios to eliminate private security firms. Again, specifically BlackWaterUSA.
‘FBI agents were returning to Washington late Monday from Baghdad, where they have been trying to collect evidence in the Sept. 16 embassy convoy shooting without using statements from Blackwater employees who were given immunity.
(snip)
The FBI took over the case early this month, officials said, after prosecutors in the Justice Department’s criminal division realized it could not bring charges against Blackwater guards based on their statements to the Diplomatic Security investigators. ‘
You know whats ironic about this?
Its been leaked that Blackwater was escorting Special Agents from the FBI in the convoy that was ambushed, resulting in this investigation.
Think about that, folks, and ask yourself one question.
Why isn’t Congress taking testimony from the ‘Special Agents’ of the FBI that were the principals Blackwater was protecting?
GOOD! Should have done this on day one with Abu Ghraib as well, to cut the legs off of the tratiors' witchhunt.
Are you REALLY surprised by this? Look at Haditha. Remember also the Marine who shot the Fallujah gunman on video and the media went crazy saying it was a wrongful killing? Instead of defending the Marine, the DoD INVESTIGATED him!
One wonders just how many of Jamie Gorelick's minions remain in the Pentagon.
???
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