By Matt Renner, t r u t h o u t
Blackwater employees were accused of committing criminal acts of violence, including an incident in December 2006, when an inebriated Blackwater employee shot and killed an Iraqi security guard to Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi, after a Christmas party.
At a hearing Tuesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform committee probed the role of private security contractors in war zones and highlighted misconduct on behalf of Blackwater USA.
Many of the committee’s questions revolved around the oversight and legal status of Blackwater employees who serve as armed guards for State Department operations in war zones. According to documents acquired by the committee, the Blackwater employee was permitted by the State Department to leave the country 36 hours after the incident and has not yet been accused of a crime.
According to Congressman Henry Waxman (D-California), chairman of the oversight committee, the State Department has not fulfilled their oversight responsibility of Blackwater and may have assisted Blackwater in downplaying misconduct.