Congressman Questions Blackwater's Work

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

Congressman Questions Blackwater's Work
By RICHARD LARDNER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The head of a House oversight panel on Tuesday questioned whether the State Department acted as an "enabler" with private contractor Blackwater in Iraq, casting the company as a rogue mercenary force.

"Privatizing is working exceptionally well for Blackwater," said Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif. "The question for this hearing is whether outsourcing to Blackwater is a good deal to the American taxpayer," he said of Blackwater, which has been paid more than $1 billion in government contracts since 2001.

Waxman's House Oversight and Government Reform convened the hearing amid an FBI investigation into a Sept. 16 shootout involving Blackwater personnel that resulted in 11 Iraqis killed. The Justice Department sent the panel a letter Tuesday asking members not to address the incident during the hearing, citing a need to first conclude its investigation.

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Waxman said at least one incident raises questions about the State Department's involvement. In December 2006, after a drunken Blackwater contractor shot an Iraqi guard, the State Department advised the company how much to pay the family and then allowed the contractor to leave Iraq 36 hours after the shooting. Internal e-mails later revealed a debate within the State Department on the size of the payment. "It's hard to read these e-mails and not come to the conclusion that the State Department is acting as Blackwater's enabler," Waxman said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071002/ap_on_go_co/blackwater_iraq