Dems seize on Blackwater immunity reports

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) on Tuesday demanded answers on reports that the State Department granted Blackwater USA guards immunity in the Sept. 16 shooting incident that led to the death of 17 Iraqis.

“This rash grant of immunity was an egregious misjudgment,” Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said in a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with regard to the reports of an immunity arrangement with Blackwater. “It raises serious questions about who conferred the immunity, who approved it at the State Department, and what their motives were.”

{mosads}Waxman demands information on any immunity deal, such as what kind of immunity had been offered and who authorized the arrangement. The lawmaker also wants to know when top State Department officials learned of the deals. In addition, Waxman wants the department to hand over documents to the panel and asked “that knowledgeable officials” appear before the committee at a staff briefing on Friday.

Several Democrats condemned the immunity deal, which was first reported by The Associated Press.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said the alleged reports of an immunity deal are symptomatic of how the Bush administration conducts business.

“This fits a well-worn pattern. In this administration, accountability goes by the boards,” Leahy said. “That seems to be a central tenet in the Bush administration — that no one from their team should be held accountable, if accountability can be avoided.”

Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards also blasted the deal.

The former North Carolina senator said news of such an arrangement is “extremely disturbing.”

“These immunity agreements could prevent investigators from learning the truth about these mercenaries’ involvement in the recent deaths of 17 civilians in Iraq,” Edwards said. “They will also undermine America's moral reputation just at a time just when we most need to succeed in winning the hearts and minds of Iraqis.”

Blackwater did not respond to a request for comment at the time this article was published.