http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/articles/20071004
October 4, 2007 -- State Department official involved in Blackwater
scandal also named in AIPAC espionage probe
publication date: Oct 4, 2007
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October 4, 2007 -- State Department official involved in Blackwater
scandal also named in AIPAC espionage probe
David Satterfield, the Senior Advisor to Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice for Iraq, testified before the House Oversight and
Government Reform Committee on October 2 regarding the State
Department's contracts with Blackwater. Satterfield was also
identified by the New York Times as a principal in the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) case involving two AIPAC
employees who received classified information from convicted former
Pentagon intelligence official Larry Franklin.
On August 18, 2005, WMR carried the following item:
August 18, 2005 -- The New York Times is reporting that the anonymous
U.S. government source identified as "USGO-2" in the Franklin/Rosen/
Weismann AIPAC national security indictment is David Satterfield,
former US ambassador to Lebanon and now Deputy Chief of Mission in
Baghdad under Zalmay Khalilzad. The revelations about Satterfield
came after the August 16 arraignment of former AIPAC officials Steve
Rosen and Keith Weissman at the US District Court in Alexandria,
Virginia. Franklin was arraigned the same day on additional charges.
The indictment states that USGO-2 (Satterfield) discussed classified
national security information with Rosen during two meetings, Jan. 18
and Mar. 12, 2002. Two other people identified in the indictment,
USGO-1, a senior government official, and DOD-B, a Department of
Defense official, remain unidentified.
Satterfield defended Blackwater in his testimony. Satterfield
testified that State Department policies on private security
contractors "only allow for the use of force when absolutely
necesssary to address imminent and grave danger against those under
their protection, themselves, and others."
However, the committee discovered that Blackwater has shot
indiscriminately into crowds of people and automobiles when there was
no "imminent danger."
Satterfield said that State has sent to Iraq a team to investigate
diplomatic security practices. It is headed by Ambassador Patrick
Kennedy, and includes retired General George Joulwan and retired
Ambassadors Stapleton Roy and Eric Boswell.
Roy is hardly the type of diplomat who is prepared to investigate
human rights violations by a GOP-connected contractor. Roy, a current
Vice President for Kissinger Associates, served as U.S. ambassador to
China in the immediate years following the Tiananmen Square massacre,
and was ambassador to Indonesia during East Timor's bloody fight for
independence against Indonesian troops.
Boswell is a member of the intelligence community. He was appointed
Assistant Deputy Director for Security in the Office of the Deputy
Director of National Intelligence for Management on Oct. 31, 2005.
Joulwan was the US Southern Command chief during George H. W. Bush's
Operation Just Cause, the invasion of Panama. During that invasion,
thousands of Panamanians were burned to death in their shanty homes
when the military attacked the densely-populated El Chorrillo
district of Panama City.
Satterfield was joined in his testimony by Richard Griffin, the
Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security. Griffin's
testimony painted a favorable image of State's private security
contractors, including those contracted under the Worldwide Personal
Protective Services (WPPS) contracts. These contracts have been
awarded to Blackwater, Dyncorp, and Triple Canopy.
Griffin said contracts under WPPS were first awarded in 2000 and have
included:
Contractor Contract Area of service
Dyncorp WPPS-1 Former Yugoslavia
Dyncorp WPPS-1 Palestinian
Territories
Dyncorp WPPS-1 Karzai Protection
Operation
Afghanistan
Dyncorp WPPS-1 US Ambassador Kabul
Dyncorp WPPS-1 Afghan
Reconstruction Group
Dyncorp WPPS-1 Haitian President/
US Embassy
Port-au-
Prince
Blackwater WPPS-1 US Embassy Baghdad
Triple Canopy WPPS-1 Regional Embassy Office
Basrah
Triple Canopy, Blackwater,
Dyncorp WPPS II Jerusalem, Kabul,
Bosnia,
Baghdad,
REO Basrah,
REO Al
Hillah, REO Kirkuk,
USAID Erbil
Blackwater WPPS II Iraq aviation services
The House Committee touched on the GOP political connections of
Blackwater and its CEO and Chairman Erik Prince, however, it steered
clear of Satterfield's obvious conflicts of interest with top neocon
officials and their agents of influence.
Related Articles:
* October 1, 2007 -- House Committee discovers new details about
Blackwater
* October 2, 2007 -- Biggest decision for a fired Blackwater
employee in Iraq
* October 3, 2007 -- Blackwater testimony reveals open and
hidden agendas - PART I
* October 4, 2007 -- Blackwater Aviation and its X-Wing Star
Wars pilots
* Sept. 27, 2007 -- Waxman releases report on private security
contractors in Iraq
* JUNE 13, 2005 --UNFRIENDLY FIRE: HOSTILE INCIDENTS INCREASING
BETWEEN US MILITARY AND PRIVATE MILITARY CONTRACTORS IN IRAQ
* October 3, 2007 -- Blackwater testimony reveals open and
hidden agendas --- PART II
* Sept. 28-30, 2007 -- State Dept. IG Howard Krongard threatened
State investigators if they cooperated with Congress
Comments
liberty antigone (?)
wow. great work.
Arthur T. Murray (Seattle, WA)
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Susan Modikoane (Houston/TX)
Well they had the corruption hearings live on Yahoo until the
minister from Iraq started to speak to Congress. Then they
immediately pulled the plug.
Big surprise.
Susan Modikoane (Houston/TX)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress wants to update a law that has
protected Blackwater USA and other private security contractors in
Iraq from criminal prosecution, but the White House has expressed
doubts.
The House was expected to pass legislation on Thursday that
would extend the criminal jurisdiction of U.S. courts to any federal
contractor working alongside military operations.
Senate Democratic leaders planned to follow suit quickly and
send the measure to President Bush.
The legislation by Rep. David Price, D-N.C., comes amid a string
of allegations involving Blackwater employees hired by the State
Department to protect diplomatic personnel in Iraq.
In one case, a drunk Blackwater employee left a Christmas Eve
party in Baghdad and fatally shot the guard of one of Iraq's vice
presidents. The contractor was fired, fined and returned home to the
United States; no charges have been filed. More recently, Blackwater
guards were involved in a Sept. 16 shootout that left 11 Iraqis dead.
The FBI is investigating.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Iraq | House | Congress | United States |
United States | White House | White | Department of State | Blackwater
It is unclear whether charges can be brought against any of the
contractors. Federal officials cite murky laws governing the conduct
of U.S. personnel abroad not hired directly by the military. The
current law, the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, covers
personnel supporting the mission of Defense Department operations
overseas.
Because Blackwater's primary mission is to protect State
Department officials, defense lawyers probably would argue that the
current law does not apply.
At the same time, U.S. contractors are immune from prosecution
by Iraqi courts.
White House officials say they support increasing accountability
of contractors abroad but worry that the House bill is too vague and
may go too far. The White House also cited concerns with stretching
FBI resources by mandating that the agency conduct investigations
overseas.
Also, officials said they feared the military could be overtaxed
if required to support criminal investigations led by the Justice
Department.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Marycatherine Barton (Indianapolis)
How bold is Rice's USA State Dept. to include Satterfield,
especially in such a prominent, influential manner, when it is so
obvious that he has been involved, putting it mildly, and very
recently, in espionage. Dirty dogs all. Treasonous guttersnipes.
Kevin Knox (West Los Angeles)
Is Israel/AIPAC mearly using us or are they being more sinister
and are blackmailing us? Anytime I bring this up to a Jewish friend
or Jewish reporter they get very emotional and scream "anti-semitism!"
It's not anti-semitism but it is anti-elitist Israeli lobbying
and propaganda. I'd like to see more sunlight on those behind the
scenes questioning all politicians asking them if they're "good
friends of Israel?"
Complete archives at http://www.sitbot.net/
Please let us stay on topic and be civil.
OM
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