State Dept. Intercedes in Blackwater Probe
A House panel reveals a letter telling the firm not to disclose information about its Iraq operations without the administration’s OK.
WASHINGTON - The State Department has interceded in a congressional investigation of Blackwater USA, the private security firm accused of killing Iraqi civilians last week, ordering the company not to disclose information about its Iraq operations without approval from the Bush administration, according to documents revealed Tuesday.
In a letter sent to a senior Blackwater executive Thursday, a State Department contracting official ordered the company “to make no disclosure of the documents or information” about its work in Iraq without permission.
The letter and other documents were released Tuesday by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles), whose House committee has launched wide-ranging investigations into contractor abuses and corruption in Iraq.
The State Department order and other steps it has taken to limit congressional access to information have set up a confrontation between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Waxman, who has repeatedly accused the State Department of impeding his inquiries.
In his own letter to Rice on Tuesday, Waxman called her department’s latest efforts to withhold information from the committee “extraordinary” and “unusual.”
“Congress has the constitutional prerogative to examine the impacts of corruption within the Iraqi ministries and the activities of Blackwater,” Waxman wrote. “You are wrong to interfere with the committee’s inquiry.”
In response to Waxman’s letter, Kiazan Moneypenny, a senior contracting officer in the State Department’s office of acquisition management, appeared to soften the department’s stand, saying later Tuesday that it would allow Blackwater to hand over unclassified documents.
Classified documents still would be subject to State Department review. The committee has accused the administration of using secrecy designations to keep bad news about Iraq out of the hands of Congress.
The firm’s contractThe State Department’s order to Blackwater last week cited a provision in the North Carolina security firm’s contract that makes all records produced by the company in Iraq property of the U.S. government, and prohibits the company from releasing documents without State Department approval.
Waxman had sought information about Blackwater’s contract with the State Department, under which it provides nearly 1,000 armed guards to protect U.S. diplomats when they travel outside Baghdad’s Green Zone.
The request was part of a probe into a Sept. 16 incident in which at least 11 Iraqis were killed after Blackwater employees protecting a U.S. Embassy convoy opened fire.
The incident enraged the Iraqi government, which accused the firm of routinely shooting civilians with impunity.
L. Paul Bremer III, the former U.S. administrator for Iraq, granted contractors immunity from prosecution in an order he signed the day before handing over sovereignty in June 2004.
A preliminary Iraqi investigation said the shootings occurred without provocation; Blackwater and the State Department said the convoy was ambushed and the guards opened fire after being attacked.
Hearing scheduledWaxman has scheduled a Blackwater hearing for next Tuesday, but Blackwater’s attorneys warned the committee that the State Department’s letter may complicate company executives’ testimony.
“In the fluid setting of a congressional hearing it may become difficult, if not impossible, for Blackwater personnel to meet the terms of” the State Department finding, wrote Stephen M. Ryan, an attorney advising Blackwater in the congressional investigation.
“This contractual direction from the [State Department] is unambiguous.”
A company spokeswoman said Tuesday that Blackwater interpreted the State Department’s apparent shift Tuesday as permission to release documents sought by Waxman.
The State Department has repeatedly defended Blackwater in the aftermath of the Sept. 16 incident. After a brief ban on diplomatic travel outside the Green Zone, department officials have resumed trips under Blackwater guard and have said that the company’s status has not changed.
In his letter to Rice, Waxman also objected to a move by the department to bar its officials from speaking with committee investigators about corruption inside the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.
An e-mail received by the committee Monday night indicated that the State Department was treating information about corruption as classified, suggesting it might undermine bilateral relations.
“The scope of this prohibition is breathtaking,” Waxman wrote. “On its face, it means that unless the committee agrees to keep the information secret from the public . . . the committee cannot obtain information about whether Mr. Maliki himself has been involved in corruption or has intervened to block corruption investigations.”
Waxman said that previous official reports of corruption within Iraqi ministries were treated as “sensitive but unclassified.” The State Department retroactively classified the reports after his committee requested them, Waxman said.
© 2007 Los Angeles Times
How on earth do any of the people in the Bush Administration ever get any sleep? To imagine how they can spend so much time covering up blunders, crimes,lies and stories leaked to the press is mind boggling.
Congress should make it clear that they are an independent branch conducting their own investigation. That when they issue a request for documents that they expect it to be considered as seriously as say a federal prosecutor making a similar request. And that if they wanted to they have the authority to add language to appropriations bills banning any federal money from any source to be paid to Blackwater if they feel that Blackwater has not been forthcoming and responsive to such a request. Further more, they have the authority to request classified documents. These might be reviewed with security restrictions and may not be made public or discussed in public hearings, but that there’s no doubt that they should be able to receive confidential documents. Congress could also hold up all funding to the State Department of cut particular parts of the State Department out of the next budget should they feel the State Dept is interfering with a Congressional investigation.
Well, that’s what would happen if Congress really was a separate and co-equal branch of government and if the Democrats really were an opposition party. Instead I expect the Democrats to once again roll over on their back into the submissive dog posture. Oh well!
Where is a “Deep Throat” when we need one?
I do believe thare are many deep throats. You need some honest and brave investigative reporters and publishers too claudius.
Come on Henry, just shut up and vote to fund the troops; you know you’re going to anyway. Haven’t you learned your place yet? Enough of this feigned outrage. Go put a new “Support Our Troops” bumper sticker on your car; the old one is looking a little ragged. Bush needs his Blackshirts, oh sorry Blackwater USA patriots, and its not your place or anybody else’s to question. These buff Christian Warriors are just taking the fight to the old ladies and kids in Iraq so we don’t have to fight them for a parking spot at Walmart over here. How am I ever going to enjoy the Rapture with its sweet smell of roasting muslims in my nostrils if you keep peeing on the fire. Yep, Christian Fascism hasn’t come fast enough for me. I’m not gay or anything, but I have to admit that before I jump in bed with my bible for the night, I love to go on Blackwaters website and admire the firearm fondling Killers for Christ in the black muscle shirts and mirror glasses befor I dive into the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Blackwater U.S.A-You go Girl.
This may be another blatant “stick a finger in your eye” to Congress, reaffirming that this is now a dictatorship, er, Unitary Executive, and Congress and We the People have no business questioning its actions, motives, or atrocities, perhaps on “pain” of extraordinary rendition.
Blackwater’s name speaks for itself.
By virtue of pelosi’s behavior congress is now lame.
As far as i’m concerned the lawyers can shark each other to oblivion.
All the while the ecological calamaties and the associated consequences continue to grow. All the while…..that is until we throw off the shackles of someone else’s imaginary reality.
I agree with what i read somewhere else here at Common Dreams, there is a new generation on the way……
Peace,
Ken Hausle
Charlotte, NC
“Congress has the constitutional prerogative to examine the impacts of corruption within the Iraqi ministries and the activities of Blackwater,” Waxman wrote. “You are wrong to interfere with the committee’s inquiry.”
Constitutional “prerogative”? It sounds like Henry Waxman is taking lessons from the Republican Party who have used this terminology for the past 6+ years, making it ablsolutely clear they have NO intention of becoming public servants to the citizens of this country.
Congress not only has the power to control the bureaucracy with its (constitutional) investigative, subpoena, contempt, perjury, and grant of immunity powers….. it has an OBLIGATION to the taxpayers of this country to use those powers so that we know how our money is being spent or possibly embezzled.
CONGRESS HAS A “DUTY AND OBLIGATION” TO EXAMINE ANY CORRUPTION TAKING PLACE WHERE OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE INVOLVED!
Kiazan Moneypenny? That’s a joke, right?
“All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
Animal Farm
George Orwell
blackwater….”a term used to describe water contaminated with fecal matter and urine”.
Watch Congress once again run from any hint of foul smelling shit this administration is constantly producing.
Viceroy Bremer granted contractors immunity from prosecution. Disgusting. Another great business decision. If you’re on the losing end of this corrupt game plan you’re going to be shot, in jail, in debt or dead. More secrecy and paranoia is on the way.
Cindy is right. Corruption has spread throughout all agencies like a plague. Repugs won’t allow elections on ‘08.
Kem,
I wholeheartedly agree with you.
I hope Mr. Aligheri is right about the complicit.
“Waxman called her department’s latest efforts to withhold information from the committee “extraordinary” and “unusual.” Unbelievable. AS IF… Gonzales acting like he had Alzheimer’s when questioned wasn’t of the same cloth; or Bush’s signing statements; or end runs around practicing torture; or the VP claiming to NOT be part of the executive branch, and on and on and on ad nauseum. I mean kangaroo politics as usual? Unusual? For a sane nation, yes. For a democratic republic with viable checks and balances, yes.
TURTLE 20: I emphatically share your cynicism!
The hubris of these political operatives is breathtaking… like blackwater, as synonym for fetid waters, everything the Bush junta does stinks to the heavens! Maybe Jesus WILL return to clear the record… stranger things have indeed happened on this wounded planet.
Very witty turtle20. Just like gallows humor.
I’ve heard this expression for many years, “They can put you in jail, but they can’t eat you, because that’s against the law”, but I’m not so sure now. The shit has yet to hit the fan. Just wait until some of these Blackwater thugs start bring home necklaces made of cut off human ears (or other anatomical parts).
I guess all those yellow “Support The Troops” ribbons will have to be changed to red ones, but I guess black ones for mercenaries is sooo much more appropriate. Hey, I’ve got an idea. How about we support our regular troops by bringing them home (or at least a redeployment), and leave all these money grubbing macho Rambo types over there…without pay!!!
Every single day we are bombarded with more examples of our dictatorship. Mr. Waxman keeps on investigating and has not produced too much to show for it. No one pays up, no one is held accountable. And, yes, the Democrats are obviously complicit in everything. The majority is not remotely close to doing their job in protecting the Constitution. The entire Congress may as well take a permanent leave of absence (without pay or benefits)to ’spend more time with their families’ as they are not accomplishing anything while in session. This administration is bullying for a civil war right here at home. It may not take much more from the administration before someone has the guts to say “Enough is enough! It is time for action from the constituents to do what their elected representatives have failed to do.” This war will not be for plunder of resources, but for a return to Constitutional law that has protected the citizens from plunder by their government.
cited a provision in the North Carolina security firm’s contract that makes all records produced by the company in Iraq property of the U.S. government
I thought Congress WAS the US government?
“Cindy is right. Corruption has spread throughout all agencies like a plague. Repugs won’t allow elections on ‘08.”
Yeah right, and the Fish rots from the Head FIRST….War Criminal Bu$hCo has set such a fine example [SIC] for all Government to follow….
No wonder the God Almighty MESS….
A congress is the Gov. except when the Gov. becomes a dictatorship. Owned and operated by stupid people. No third or forth rated person can get first rated people to work for or under them.
“It is a melancholy reflection, that when human affairs are put into a bad way, where they do not speedily recover, they never recover, or rarely ever. One great reason is, that power is always on the worst side, either promoting mischief or preventing it’s removal; and the champions of dishonesty and oppression are more artful and better paid than the patrons of justice and innocence.”
Thomas Gordon, 1721
Kem, you are absolutely correct. Evidently the “Born Again” Christnuts do not have consciences.
When I see what this petty evil dictator has done to our country, I just cringe. Actually, at Columbia, the other day, I really thought Bollinger was speaking of GWBush when he described the dictator who was also “Elected” in Iran. Same side of the coin are the two.
Bush/Cheney, Rumsfeld, Bremer, Feith, Perle and the whole rest of them have torn up not only the United States Constitution, but also the Declaration of Human Rights which the US helped to author.
We don’t even have a Congress who understand the US Constitution and I had always thought that they would at least read it before they swore an oath to protect and defend it from all enemies foreign and domestic.
We need a Revolution. T. Jefferson said we need one every 20 years or so and it is long overdue.
How much longer dear god or goddess?
Seems like there is a little bit of a heated confrontation taking place between the State Department and the military. Apparently, the military does not like the Blackwater commandos. One military officer described the massacre of innocent Iraqis by Blackwater thugs as “possibly worse than Abu Ghraib.”
Blackwater immune to prosecution? Imagine my (total lack of) surprise.
Can’t go having the new SS/Blackshirts being put on trial now can we? How else can we count on them to round up the dissident voicesspeaking out against their paymasters, Bushco?
Welcome to your Facsist Police State. Have fun.
Trust me, nothing is going to change. Black Water will be killing as long as congress is giving them your tax dollars. When killing innocent Iraqies is no longer profitable they will be coming home to a theater near you, acting as local law enforcement. But you don’t have to worry, Bush told the UN that he wants to protect our human rights here and abroad. Boy I feel better…
Hello Neighbour! Don’t you think it is about time to lock and load and run these neocons and so called royalty out of office and into prison? Texas loves to hang ‘em High, so let them. If you need help call me, I’m familiar with the job discription!
VOTE ALL INCUMBANTS OUT OF OFFICE. ONLY THEN DO WE HAVE A CHANCE FOR A FRESH START.
What the hell are we coming to? Congress - - representing the people of the USA - - cannot be allowed to see documents, but Blackwater, a private, for-profit firm with crony ties to the White House, can. The Bushites are crazy!
PaulMagillSmith September 26th, 2007 2:46 pm
“Just wait until some of these Blackwater thugs start bring home necklaces made of cut off human ears (or other anatomical parts).”
From lampshades to necklaces?
Please, Paul, don’t give them any ideas.
The bunch in washington D C are such a rottn bunch that an a-bomb would be to good for them.
tubluesbflat: Thomas Jefferson said, sometimes you need a good old fashion revolution. I agree! But you also need good old fashion people willing to stand-up and protect thier constitution. Good luck with that!
Makes you wonder why Clinton gave in on the BJ/Monika story…..a major scandal with far reaching percussions.
Meanwhile the sheeple are oblivious to possible future ramifications of Rambo’s coming home to mop up here.
Thank you Nancy Impeachment-Is-Off-the-Table-But-Golly-I-Would-But-the-Votes-Aren’t-There.
Will she put impeachment on the table ever? Evidently she DOES know better than we, since the Gang of 22 continually vote for apocalypse in the Senate . . .
Hi GAIL, I’m certain Paul got his ideas from the WW2 Nazis, so will Blackwater. Those thugs likely have some ideas we haven’t even dreamed of.
BTW, the word THUG originated with the Thuggies in India, they were con-artist highway robbers, who murdered their victems by garroting them with a silk scarf. In-humanity has a long history on planet Earth, Blackwater is just another version of souless people. What is so damn maddening is, they are employed by the government of the United States of America. Lately, I have trouble not blowing my top every sngle day. Evelyn’s old housecat is afraid of me now.
This attempt to stifle congressional powers should be used to justify refusing to consider further funding of the war. If Democrats as a body in Congress had the desire to do so, they could do so. And they should do so. If they don’t, we will know where they truly stand. With Bush. With the warmongers. With Blackwater. And we will know for sure we live un a fascist state.
As long as we have Condi to smooth things over for Blackwater and the other mercenaries, and we have Nancy enabling the continuation of the Bush Regime we will continue to witness ever more serious and destructive crimes committed by the US Govenrment and its agents.
Why is Waxman so surprised? It’s as if he hasn’t figured out that since December 2000 we’ve lost our country in a bloodless coup d’état. Is he as oblivious as Leahy to the fact that he and his bogus Congress have no authority? Or are they just playing around with us?
If a bunch of minorities armed themselves and built a compound from which they attacked people the population would insist they be removed.
Scientists have discovered an entire new species of invertebrates, named homo congress… they resemble humans in many ways, but have absolutely no backbone and very little ability in the manner of rational thought.
Homo congress attempts to breed indiscriminately with either sex, and will perform almost any task for small rewards from corporations and the wealthy, and appears to have little in the way of conscience or social responsibility.
People are just now beginning to recognize homo congress as the destructive parasitic pest that it is, and hopefully will begin eradication efforts in the Fall of 2008… driving the pest from seats of power back into the hinterlands and brush piles of rural America.
They are mercenaries, there are many thousands of them there. What did they expect when they hired these guys? Probably exactly what they got.
Free dates with knocked out girls.
or boys. Young boys. They like to Foley around.
L. Paul Bremer III, the former U.S. administrator for Iraq, granted contractors immunity from prosecution in an order he signed the day before handing over sovereignty in June 2004.
That say’s it all !
It’s time for those in the US Congress to learn how to say “impeachment.” This is about most crucial of accountability and democracy itself.
There it is!
We watched and waited to see if al-Maliki had any actual power or not. Now we plainly see that he doesn’t. Since the president of Iraq has no power, there is no government, meaning that this is clearly an occupation. The cat’s out of the bag now.
The investigation is just about an illegal shooting but since the bush administration has slammed the lid on it, there’s obviously more to Blackwater than meets the eye.
I suspect a great deal of illegal activity such as contracted torture, murder, and corporate espionage.
It’ll be interesting to watch how this plays out.
Start with Condi Rice on this wonderful impeachment journey, and demand testimony under oath about every damn lie this army of gangsters has told since they flim flammed themselves into office.
What a comedy of errors!
Our old toothless Kangaroo Congress in action: won’t use the power of the purse because the real purse (Fortune 500) will have their guts for garters if they slow down the no-bid gravy train….
So Waxman slips around on the floor pretending to discover things to give us the hope that maybe his party of Charlatans is actually doing something……
When in reality, this is a sad sideshow designed to tie us over until the 2008 election. Meanwhile, back at the wall street the market keeps climbing up to a suicidal level due to money jerked out of housing showing up in stocks again….. Supported by massive eminent bank failure of unknown occurrence…. it’s going to be an ugly hammerhead stall… how far up will she go?
Nobody Knows…..
And now for the main show…..
A deranged bushmonkey riding a unicycle!
throwing hand grenades at the audience!
It just doesn’t get any better than this…..
wouldn’t make a good movie though, nobody would believe it.
pacplyer 9:42 am says:
“wouldn’t make a good movie though, nobody would believe it.”
Also, the movie would be real boring. Nothing but a long drawn out pathetic story about a big ego or two plus a few more. If there weren’t so many folks getting maimed and killed and displaced and separated every day the show would be a sort of “psuedo-comedy”, but it would be senseless.
I wouldn’t want to watch it either.
Peace,
Ken Hausle
Here’s a nice video showing Blackwater guys shooting at Iraqi civilians.
http://www.yikers.com/video_blackwater_mercenaries_shoot_at_iraqi_civilians.html
TheLorax: I’m not in the military but i used to play a lot of strategy games. Anyhow, in that film it appears that they have orders to shoot any vehicle that gets too close from behind. It does not matter who is in the vehicle, and notice they do not even find out afterwards. Appartently the Iraqi citizens are just supposed to know and if they make a mistake they can be shot.
I would suspect that of the vehicles fired upon less than 5% (perhaps even less than 1%) are an actual threat. More likely someone just driving without thinking. Gee, i wonder how folks in the US driving and talking on their cell phones would do in this environment?
Moroever, just speculation here, but it seems most likely that the mercenary guys know that they are shooting innocent civilians, but that may be the intent. In certainly ramps up the intimidation doesn’t it? I mean if you are an Iraqi citizen it creates a strong incentive to never encounter anything having to do with the mercenaries and by extention this thought process likely applies to all military individuals and even to your own neighbors. It most effectively creates incredible amounts of distrust amongst individuals. You could call it chaos.
Again i say, how would the citizes of the US of formerly A (at least in my mind) do under these circumstances. Oh you say, this will never happen here. Well time will tell.
Also, its amazing that this film is even out there but with all these cell phones i suppose it is getting much easier to document happenings. I suppose that might be a good thing. I don’t know. Maybe - maybe not.
Peace,
Ken Hausle,
Charlotte, NC
One more thought just for the hell of it. I live in NC but as far as i’m concerned blackwater can be gd’d to hell. They are not the NC i know and love……and here is another idea - lets start deglorifying the military in every way possible….especially the offensive air force who are a bunch of loose cannons flying around over our country with nuclear weapons…..
I won’t sign this “peace” because some might say i’m over the top or out of line, so i’ll just sign it with the name on my birth certificate.
Ken Hausle
Charlotte, NC
and maybe what the Iraqi’s could start doing is “just ignore blackwater in every way possible”. What are they going to do — kill everyone?????
Plus, i’d carry around a video cell phone at all times. Lets start seeing what is actually going on.
Peace is what we need.
Peace,
Ken Hausle
and i don’t think we are going to get any Peace from any of the feds out of DC. i mean come on - has anybody learned anything yet????????
the official slogan of commanderinchief,geo.bush is”youre with us or youre with the enemy”(check it out at probush.com)blackwaters orders are to eliminate ALL subversives…the regular soldiers of the u.s.military,are not exempt from this order.the high profile cases of pat tillman,omar mora,yance gray(and the attempt on jeremy murphy)need to be investigated from the blackwater angle.they were subversive to the bush agenda and they qualify as subversive under blackwater’s mission.changing the subject(but not entirely)our government has spent trillions on killing people and has spent billions of our taxmoney on blackwater and yet claim they cannot AFFORD national health-care.it is overdue that we citizens get to decide where and on what our money is spent.i,for one,do not want the crooked insurance corporations in charge of healthcare..national healthcare would assure equal footing for all citizens.please push for national healthcare and an investigation of the many ’suspicious’deaths of the truly brave,who have spoken up against this mass of insanity.because those who have speculated that blackwater is destined to come to a town near you,are right…and we must always be mindful of the bush slogan”youre with us or youre with the enemy.”THIS MEANS YOU………!
Blackwater hiring slogan: ‘Babykillers and rapists welcome.’
whitewatersally - here’s the thing though….
a slogan ain’t worth diddily when it is ignored…..
ignored across the board……anyhow, who needs the fear….
plus, this runs much deeper than health care…this goes to the core…..
i’ll say it again:
time will tell
“duh”
but why can’t we just start choosing to do better….from the bottom to the top and vice versa…..
Galen - “welcome” or “preferred”?
Ken: “Encouraged”?
I wonder how much of Rice’s blundering is on purpose to hide malfeasance and how much of it is plain stupidity. She should have known that managing Blackwater’s responses was going to make matters worse, but she went ahead and did it anyway. Now the question is what she is so desperate to hide. This behavior seems to be characteristic of the whole Bush administration. Aren’t there any competent people working for the Bushies?!
As for investigating Blackwater, it may be that it is better to leave them over there so we don’t have to fight them here. Witness how they behaved in New Orleans postKatrina. What we have is a private army being developed for the Bushie warlords in the future.
Galen: “welcome, preferred, encouraged”……yep & yup. sadly it seems all three apply……
hi dkm…..lately, i’m not a big fan of “leaving” things be….they always seem to end up getting worse — you know “worst coming to worse”.
I think it is time for solutions. There are many floating around it is just a matter of will.
Peace,
Ken Hausle
you think the slogan is ignored across board ?it is not.i said their mission is to ‘eliminate’the subversive,concievably that could be accomplished any number of ways..sometimes diplomacy works other times-killing…what matter the method ?it is what gets the result.i am not talking ‘american civilians”at least not yet…their mission(so far)is defined in combatant or non-civilian subversives.it is vital that if there is a blackwater connection to the deaths of some of our soldiers,that it be dragged out now,into the light of day…now…who knows when the mission could morph from military and civilians in iraq and afganistan to civilian victims of a disaster here in the u.s. of a.
whitewatersally (hm - what does that name mean….) !!!!!
Actually I didn’t say “i think the slogan is ignored across the board”, i said “when a slogan is ignored”. The “point” is a choice can be made to ignore, and then diplomatic options expand exponentially….plus this is often the preferred approach to diminish an offensive perpetrator….
Peace,
Ken Hausle