Blackwater to Guard G-Men Investigating Blackwater

[Coexist]

from TPM Muckraker

Yesterday Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) asked if Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) "really" wanted to investigate Blackwater, since if he went to Iraq to snoop around, "Blackwater will be his support team."

Well, apparently it's not so hypothetical of a scenario. From The New York Daily News:

When a team of FBI agents lands in Baghdad this week to probe Blackwater security contractors for murder, it will be protected by bodyguards from the very same firm, the Daily News has learned.
Half a dozen FBI criminal investigators based in Washington are scheduled to travel to Iraq to gather evidence and interview witnesses about a Sept. 16 shooting spree that left at least 11 Iraqi civilians dead.

The agents plan to interview witnesses within the relative safety of the fortified Green Zone, but they will be transported outside the compound by Blackwater armored convoys, a source briefed on the FBI mission said.

"What happens when the FBI team decides to go visit the crime scene? Blackwater is going to have to take them there," the senior U.S. official told The News.

[aquart]

1. What's completely, utterly, totally wrong with this picture?

[ThomCat]

2. Um, isn't this when any sane, rational governement

would assign a military unit to their defense? Or secret service?

:wtf:

[ChickMagic]

3. Was Issa issuing a threat to Waxman?

How fricking corrupt can these bastards get?

[Arkansas Granny]

4. Wouldn't that be considered a conflict of interest?

Also, if those were Issa's actual words, that sounds suspiciously like a threat to me.

[aikoaiko]

5. Some other security comp could have provided their security, no?