Michael Roston, Huffington Post
A tug of war has broken out between Congress and the Bush administration over legislation that would put private security contractors on a shorter legal leash.
The White House and Justice Department are trying to limit the reach of U.S. criminal law on Blackwater and other private war contractors. With a potential veto threat looming, several senators now want to alter the bill in a way that satisfies both the Bush administration and members of the House of Representatives, who overwhelmingly passed similar legislation last month.
Negotiators are continuing to work out the proposed bill’s language in the hopes of introducing it before the week is out.
In the House, staff members with knowledge of discussions surrounding H.R. 2740, the MEJA Expansion and Enforcement Act, said that while they were “encouraged” about the progress of the negotiations in the Senate, there were certain lines that could not be crossed.