Charges Uncertain in Blackwater Inquiry (click here)
By LARA JAKES JORDAN – 4 days ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government has not decided whether to prosecute Blackwater Worldwide bodyguards for the September shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
The FBI is continuing its investigation of the Sept. 16 shootings, and prosecutors are far from reaching conclusions necessary to decide whether criminal charges might be filed in the case.
"This is an ongoing investigation and, therefore, it is inappropriate to discuss or speculate on any decisions with respect to possible prosecutions," Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said. "We have not yet reached that juncture."
It's not clear whether the Justice Department will ever be able to bring criminal charges. Blackwater guards involved in the shooting at Nisoor Square in west Baghdad initially were given limited immunity from prosecution by State Department investigators in exchange for their statements about what happened.
Several officials spoke in response to reports in The New York Times and The Washington Post that the FBI has concluded that the shootings of 14 of the 17 victims were an unjustified use of deadly force. Additionally, ABC News obtained a statement by one of the shooters, identified only as "Paul," who described several instances where he "engaged the individuals and stopped the threat."
"There has been a lot of chatter that one guy really lost it. I have seen these reports consistently," said one U.S. official, adding that at least one Blackwater guard — and maybe more — likely will be found to have violated rules of engagement on the scene.
One senior FBI official close to the investigation said he was aware of evidence that could indicate 14 of the shootings were unjustified. However, the official said that number was highly speculative and ultimately unreliable because it remains too early in the inquiry to draw any conclusions.
It's also still possible that criminal charges will be brought on behalf of all 17 of the victims, Justice Department officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly about the investigation....
...In a pre-emptive strike against government prosecutors, home run king Barry Bonds* today announced that he had hired Scooter Libby to head the team defending him against charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. This will be Libby's second case of perjury and obstruction of justice, and his first case as an attorney since leaving the White House.
"Like 'Bo knows baseball', I think Libby knows more than just a little bit about perjury and obstruction of justice, and how to avoid punishment for those charges" said Bonds*. "I am honored to have someone with Scooter's background in this field heading my defense team. That he alone shares a moniker with another of baseball's legends, Phil Rizzuto, is just icing on the cake."
"This will be an easy case", said Libby. "The charges against Bonds* are the second most ridiculous perjury charges in history. Bonds* was too busy and his mind distracted by other more important matters. When a Cuban like El Duque tries the brushback by hurling a projectile at you at 90-100mph from a small hill just 60'6" away, what else would you call that but an act of terrorism?"...
