Protection given without authorization
Associated Press Oct 30, 07 4:59 AM CDT
(Newser)
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State Department investigators have jeopardized the Blackwater criminal probe by promising immunity to guards involved in the controversial shooting last month that killed 17 Iraqis, the AP discovered. The investigators, from the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, offered the guards limited-use immunity or "garrity" protection, which prohibits their statements from being used in criminal prosecution.
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Lack of volunteers spurs biggest call-up since Vietnam War
Associated Press Oct 27, 07 7:33 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Lacking volunteers for dozens of vacancies at the US Embassy in Baghdad, the State Department is set to order its diplomats to serve one-year postings in Iraq. Those selected for the postings will be notified Monday; if not enough take the bait, assignments will be made mandatory, on pain of dismissal, AP reports.
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'We can't win this one,' wrote one official
ABC News Oct 26, 07 11:04 AM CDT
(Newser)
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State Department officials sought to conceal evidence of a 2005 Blackwater killing from an LA Times reporter, according to emails obtained by ABC News. Referring to a shooting that killed one Iraqi and led to two Blackwater dismissals, one official instructed another to give the Times "what we can and dump the rest on Blackwater," the paper reports.
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Condy accused of lax oversight of Blackwater, corruption, US embassy
Washington Post Oct 25, 07 6:35 PM CDT
(Newser)
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House Democrats today grilled Condoleezza Rice over alleged State Department bungling in Iraq, from failure to supervise private security contractors like Blackwater to ignoring corruption in the new Iraqi government to sloppy oversight of the new US embassy in Baghdad. Usually composed, Rice showed signs of frustration today, as Dems hammered her—and by extension, the administration—with questions, the Washington Post reports.
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Lax controls, slopping accounting
New York Times Oct 23, 07 7:20 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A State Department internal review of its own security practices in Iraq is sharply critical of the lack of oversight of private contractors Blackwater, DynCorp International and Triple Canopy. A second report due today says officials can't say what the government got for $1.2B paid to DynCorp since 2004, reports the New York Times .
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Upset over rebel strikes, Turkey may attack Kurdish Iraq
BBC Oct 13, 07 4:38 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Two US envoys flew to Ankara today to urge Turkey not to strike back against Kurdish militants, the BBC reports. Relations between the NATO allies remain strained after US lawmakers accused Turkey this week of waging a WWI-era genocide campaign against Armenians. Turkey reacted by recalling its ambassador from Washington.
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Immunity for guards was 'a bomb that could go off at any time'
Los Angeles Times Oct 7, 07 8:02 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The White House ignored signals about Blackwater and other private mercs for years, rejecting the idea that they were "a bomb that could go off at any time," the Los Angeles Times reports. One official says that contract guards blatantly smashed property and scared Iraqis, then argued that they should all be treated like terrorists. "If they weren't terrorists before, they certainly are now," the official says.
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Project delayed for months due to shoddy workmanship, planning
Washington Post Oct 7, 07 4:13 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Shoddy workmanship and poor planning have left construction of the new US embassy in Iraq—the biggest in the world—months behind schedule, and tacked $144 million onto what was originally a $592-million project. Scheduled to open last month, it won't be fully habitable until 2009. The State Department, already under fire for failing to adequately supervise private security firm Blackwater, is taking heat from Congress for the poor performance
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Convoys will also be monitored with video cameras, radio logs
Associated Press Oct 5, 07 12:55 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Condoleezza Rice has ordered all private security convoys in Iraq to be accompanied by at least one US diplomatic security agent. The Secretary of State acted on an internal review sparked by the recent Blackwater shooting incident that left 17 civilians dead. Contractors will also be monitored by video cameras in vehicles and recording of radio communications, the AP reports. The new rules are meant to ensure “a management feedback loop,” said a State spokesman.
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Landslide passage for bill to bring private firms into civilian courts
New York Times Oct 4, 07 5:01 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The House of Representatives passed a bill today that would make private security firms accountable to US civilian courts; the vote was 389 to 30, with opposition coming only from Republicans. The White House and Pentagon want contractors kept under military jurisdiction, but if the Senate passes similar legislation by a similar margin, the president will be unable to veto it successfully.
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$146M wasted in premium travel
Associated Press Oct 3, 07 9:29 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Federal employees wasted $146 million in a single year flying business or first class, according to a government investigation. Some 67% of premium-class travel is unauthorized or unnecessary, and the biggest abusers are Pentagon, Justice and State Department officials, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.
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Former diplomats call for more leadership, talks with Hamas
Guardian (UK) Oct 2, 07 10:46 AM CDT
(Newser)
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As Condoleezza Rice prepares for next month's Mideast peace summit, a group of former diplomats have warned her that the opportunity may be squandered by poor planning and weak strategy. The Guardian reports on an unprecedented letter to Rice from top former State Department figures, saying that "the chances of a perceived failure. . . are profound" for US-led talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
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Guards fired first in 80% of incidents since 2005
CNN Oct 2, 07 6:44 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Private security firm Blackwater USA has been involved in shooting incidents nearly every week since 2005, according to an investigation by the Democratic congressional staff. While Blackwater is contracted to use force only defensively, company guards used force at least 195 times, firing first 80% of the time, the report found. In at least two cases, the firm paid money to victims' relatives to cover up shooting deaths.
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