Letter to The Honorable Joseph Lieberman Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Govermental Affairs Committee; Susan Collins Ranking Member ...

Letter

Today, U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) called on Chairman Joseph Lieberman and Ranking Member Susan Collins of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to ask Erik Prince, the head of Blackwater, to testify before the Committee and provide details of the company's contract in Iraq.

In February, Obama offered the Transparency and Accountability in Military and Security Contracting Act (S. 674), a comprehensive piece of legislation requiring more information and accountability on private security contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Senate passed an Obama amendment in the Defense Department Authorization bill that will require federal departments to compile and report information to Congress on the role of contractors in Iraq. Obama has also introduced a separate bill (S. 2147) to require private contractors to be held accountable under federal law.

Below is a copy of the letter:

October 15, 2007
The Honorable Joseph I. Lieberman, Chairman
The Honorable Susan Collins, Ranking Member
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Lieberman and Ranking Member Collins:

As you know, on September 16, 2007, personnel from Blackwater USA, a private security contracting firm, killed as many as 17 Iraqi civilians in an incident in Baghdad. This incident, which has damaged the United States' reputation in the eyes of the Iraqi people, has highlighted the need for more oversight of our government's use of contractors in Iraq. I am writing to request that the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hold hearings on the proper role of private security contractors, as well as the September 16 incident.

Earlier this month, Erik Prince, the head of Blackwater, testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. At that hearing, Chairman Waxman decided not to ask Mr. Prince specific questions about the September 16 incident out of deference to a pending FBI investigation. However, in two interviews broadcast yesterday, Mr. Prince provided a detailed accounting of what he believes happened that day, asserting that Blackwater guards were fired upon, despite evidence to the contrary.

On CNN's "Late Edition," Mr. Prince suggested that Blackwater's actions are dictated by the State Department: "[W]e send professionals over there to do a job we do, dictated by the U.S. government, by the State Department who hires us. We recruit, vet, equip, train and deploy them, and then we turn them over to the operational control to the U.S. government. . . . [T]hey dictate the missions, they dictate the vehicles, they provide the weapons, they tell us where to go and what to do."

Mr. Prince also said that he welcomed greater scrutiny of Blackwater's operations. On CBS' "60 Minutes," Mr. Prince said: "We absolutely want more oversight. We welcome the accountability. We want a good name for this industry." Given Mr. Prince's willingness to submit to additional oversight, as well as the importance of these issues to our ongoing effort in Iraq, I request that you invite Mr. Prince to testify before our Committee.

Although the House Oversight Committee shed some light on Blackwater's practices and the State Department's relationship with Blackwater, there are still many issues involving Blackwater that merit further oversight. These issues include: the lack of transparency associated with the hiring and conduct of private security contractors; the lack of accountability over their actions; the State Department's role in covering up previous incidents in which Blackwater guards shot at Iraqi civilians; and the impact of the contractors' behavior on our efforts to win hearts and minds in Iraq and Afghanistan. All of these issues, I believe, merit further investigation by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

In preparation for such a hearing, I believe it would be prudent to request a copy of the contract that Blackwater received from the State Department to conduct its mission. According to press accounts, that contract was awarded without competition from multiple bidders. Moreover, there remain questions about the rules of engagement under which Blackwater contractors operate in Iraq, including a belief that State Department contractors operate under rules of engagement that are more permissive than those under which Defense Department contractors operate.

Given the military's increased reliance on such private security contractors, greater oversight from our Committee would be both timely and important to ensuring that we understand not just what mistakes have been made, but how we can correct them in a way that protects our national interest.

I thank you in advance for your consideration of my request.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama
United States Senator

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